Jaune Arc: Monster Hun- err, Summoner!
by Screwthehype
Summary: Jaune Arc was all alone on that island. For almost seven years. With nothing but monsters to keep him company. At least he has a power that could help him out, turn the beasties against each other. But how does it work? Maybe one of these Beacon kids can help him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: $#****+, Screw, back at it again with the Jaune-centric fi- good lord, why did I do that?**

 **Well, yeah, here's the first chapter of Jaune Arc: Monster Hun... err, Summoner! Think of this as a prologue of sorts, a prologue that probably will reach the double digits in terms of chapters. Yeah.**

 **So, a shout out to the fics that helped influence this one: The Yellow Death, An Arc's Best Friend, Of Another D'Arc, and Residuum. Before we start this off, because ElusiveEcho already did it with An Arc's Best Friend, no charge blade for Jaune. Just so you know.**

 **Press start.**

 **New Game.**

 **Please enter your name:**

 **JAUNE ARC**

 **Is this okay?**

 **[Yes]**

* * *

In the middle of a stormy ocean sat a boat, a fishing vessel. It was not too small, nor was it too big, being able to comfortably hold 20 people, 40 if everyone cramped together. It had a red body, with several streaks of white on the hull and one long streak on the underside of the boat. On the back of the ship, there was an image of a white flower. On the sides of the hull, just near the front, the name of the boat was printed: the White Rose. On the actual ship itself, there were only seven people alongside many amounts of survival gear. There were collapsible tents, canteens, compasses, and other such needed materials.

Five of the seven people on-board were easily identifiable as sailors, although the maritime clothing had red were the stereotypical blue was. The other two people, however, looked to be very out of place. One of them had silver hair, neatly combed upon his head, along with a well-groomed mustache. He was rather… portly in appearance, with thick limbs and large hands. Upon his back rested a unique weapon, a blunderbuss with an axe-head at the stock. His companion had wildly flowing emerald hair, and thick-rimmed glasses covering his eyes. He was tall, and a tad bit lanky. In his hands was a green thermos. Both the tall man and the portly man were wearing pith helmets, the green-haired man also wearing s long brown coat with a khaki safari shirt, whereas his partner was wearing gold an burgundy suit and olive cavalry boots.

The volatile waves around them rocked and shook the boat, disorienting some of the sailors, but not the other two men. At the helm of the ship, a red-haired seaman with three scars on his eye was wrestling for control of the White Rose.

"Don't worry, lads! The proud crew of the White Rose can rough any kind of storm! We'll get you to that island!" The crewmen all (attempted) to raise their fists in the air, and rang out with a hearty "AYE!" The portly man shouted, to be heard over the storm.

"Huzzah! Thank you, captain. Don't worry; the staff at Beacon will compensate you well in case anything goes wrong on our voyage! Isn't that right, Barty?" He gestured over to his companion.

"That's correct, Peter! After all, who knows what could happen in an unknown and locale?" One of the crew, a young man with some stitches under his eye and a straw-hat instead of the usual sailor's cap, gave Barty a questioning look.

"Unknown? In this day and age, shouldn't we know about this island through satellite or something?"

"Normally, that would be true, but this is a chain of small islands with a constantly fluctuating electromagnetic field that negatively impacts any satellite feed that only just recently reformatted itself in a way where we could get images of this unique archipelago and all its odd islands ranging from one eternally in winter to an island composed entirely of desert!" He was still confused.

"Ah, forgive the lad, Doctor, he's not the brightest lighthouse! Luffy, just think of it as a magic island!"

"A magic island?! That's so COOOL!"

Any further conversation was cut short as the ship sharply lurched to the side. One of the crewmembers made a smart observation.

"THAT didn't feel like a wave!" As he scanned the surrounding seas, he noticed an anomaly: a row of dorsal spikes, jutting out of the waters ahead of them.

"We're not alone, something's in the water with us!" As he said this, a more spikes kept on appearing, and a body started to rise out of the sea. The body was long and serpentine, with a blue shell lined with spines. The head and neck were poking out of the water, showing a menacing face, reminiscent of the dragon artwork from Eastern Mistral. Some of the crew panicked, one of them jumping into a barrel to hide. Barty, Peter, and the red-haired seaman were holding their ground, glaring at the leviathan in front of them. Peter took his weapon from his back; Barty's thermos transformed into some sort of torch, complete with a flame on top.

"Hang on!" Helm in hand, the helmsman, and presumable captain, quickly turned hard to starboard. And not a moment too late, too, as the blue sea-drake lurched forward, almost hitting the port side of the boat. Taking aim, Peter shot out with his blunderbuss, the rounds being caught alight by Barty's torch. They missed their mark, however, as the creature dove back under the sea. As the two men were on watch for the leviathan, the area underneath the White Rose started to glow blue.

"What's this?" Arcs of electricity then surrounded the waters, actually managing to boil the waters! The two men were slightly alarmed, but not the captain.

"Worry not! The White Rose has sailed through the dangerous Xiao-Long pass before! This heat is nothing for us!"

The beast violently rose up from the other side, hitting the boat and giving the hull a few scratches.

"Arrgh!"

"Now Peter!" Taking their moment to counter, the two once again shot at the leviathan. This time, they managed to scratch several of the dorsal spikes, the heat almost unbearable. The leviathan howled in pain, forcing the men to cover their ears. Afterwards, its back and eyes started to glow bright blue, and electricity was sparkling around its mouth. The sailor who jumped into the barrel was panicking, eyes and tongue bulging out.

"AAAAAHHHHH! WERE GOING TO FRYYYYY!"

"Ah, ******** ********** ************* **** ******* ********* **************!"

But, it made a mistake: It took time to charge up. Had it fired a plethora of small bolts, the leviathan probably wouldn't have been shot dead center in the chest by a round of flaming shots. The blasts knocked it back, forcing it back into the water. However, it wouldn't give up the fight. Its tail slammed into where Peter was standing, rocking the boat even more, and managing to make an indent in the boat.

"The beastie's going to wreck this ship! I'm not sure how many hits we can take, but it won't be much!"

Once again, the tail came up, hoping to slam into one of the crew. With speed that was not normally found by one of his stature, Peter rushed over and, using the axe on his gun, cut off the tail. Once again, the leviathan howled in pain. In all of its years on the seas, never had it pained so much! Deciding that antagonizing the humans on the boat was not a good idea, it slinked off, further inside the stormy deep.

As the two men on board saw it flee, they signaled out that the coast was clear. The man who jumped into the barrel slowly came out, knees still shaking. As he was, he couldn't help but notice a massive black shadow along the horizon. Taking out a pair of binoculars, his eyes widened again. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted out.

"LAND HO!"

* * *

Seven years.

Seven years since that fateful day.

He always kept track of that: after all, it was the most impactful day of his life. Seven years ago, when he was somehow teleported over to this island.

Those seven years were long, gruesome, and lonely. For only one of those seven years did he have any human company.

Well, he wasn't completely alone; he had the massive creatures that lived on this island as company. Occasionally, he would have them for dinner, but that was a risky affair.

Surviving on that island is no easy ordeal, considering all the power these beasts have. Had it not been for that one year not spent alone, he probably would've died. Sure, he may have been able to survive with his prior knowledge of fishing, but his lack of fighting ability and the massive tenacity the denizens of this island possess would no doubt have caused his downfall.

Still, he misses the man who accompanied him for that year. His friend, his mentor. This island was wild, untamed, and he still desperately wishes for positive social interaction.

Seven years of survival, six years of complete isolation.

As he sighted the odd red… thing that drove off the Lagiacrus and was heading towards this island, with the other humans onboard… he knew that those seven years were ending tonight.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't mind the little thing at the first A/N, that was because this is based off a game. Expect it again for Legacy Fist (title pending).**

 **So, a short chapter. This will how it will be until the prologue ends, 2,000 or less words per chapter. Yeah.**

 **So, readers, please review or PM me, especially considering anything that could be improved. Except for what was discussed in the lines above. Keeping those like that.**

 **See ya later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Birthdays were always important to the Arc family, just as it was with others. But with all families, some years are just stressed about more than others. The first birthday, for example; an achievement of surviving one's first year with a highly… eccentric family. The fifth birthday was another one; that was the year an Arc would choose what ancestral weapon they wanted to work with, and also the year they start practicing with wooden replicas of their chosen relic. Birthday number thirteen was also important, the year they become a teenager signifying their years as children were to end. Another momentous occasion was an Arc's twentieth, as this was the year an Arc was to mature, grow up, be an adult, all that jazz. The Arc golden years start on their fiftieth birthday, a day marked as a celebration for making it through half of one's life. The last important birthday is an Arc's 100th birthday, for reasons that do not really need to be explained. After all, with basically the entire family being warriors, living to the triple digits is quite a feat.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Ah, I forgot one. One important birthday. One that was being celebrated today, April the 24th. Today was the tenth birthday of one Jaune Luna Arc.

Now, the tenth birthday was a special one amongst the rest for an important reason. This was to be the day all Arcs waited for- the day they had their Aura unlocked.

Immediately after finishing up the cake, the entire family went outside to the backyard of the Arc manor. They stopped, all a couple meters away from and staring at a massive, mangled, and ancient tree. The roots were large, big enough that you could lay two men across one, one's feet resting one one's head. Two roots were currently being used by the entire 43-person family, sans two, as chairs. These two were standing upon a white rock, the sunlight illuminating it brighter than the surrounding area, which was shadowed by the leaves. The Arc crest was carved into the trunk, above the two figures. One was the Arc patriarch, the other his son, a complete copy of him, Jaune Luna Arc. His father laid his hand on top of Jaune's head, and with a hearty voice, began the ceremony.

"For it be in coming to thy end that thou gain eternal life. By this, thou will become a light of virtue and glory to ascend above all, infinite in distance and unbound by thy end. I free thy soul, and by mine shoulder protect thee."

As he spoke, he shone brightly with a white light, becoming brighter with each syllable. As he did, Jaune also started to shimmer, dimly at first before becoming brighter, almost as bright as the man in front of him before being in cased in a beam of light. Floating upwards for a bit, he ascended back down onto the ground. He joined his father in catching their breaths, the experience tiring the both of them out.

All around them, they heard claps from the rest of the family. The Arc patriarch then stood rightly up, smiling down at his son. Ruffling the younger boy's mop of blonde hair affectionately, he knelt down and looked straight in his son's eyes. "Welcome to the big leagues, Jaune. This Power, it's yours to use, so use your Aura wisely. I know that you will be able to make the family proud." Jaune nodded vigorously at his father's words.

"I will, pa!" Laughing merrily, the patriarch took his son, and lifting him onto his shoulders, proudly proclaimed to the rest of the family,

"Another round of cheers for my son! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAUNE!"

* * *

It was the middle of the night when he awoke. More accurately, the clock to his side read 2:30. The party lasted until the birthday boy was tired, from the amount of energy spent tiring, from having his aura unlocked, and from his sugar crash. So at around ten-thirty, all the children were lulled to sleep in their rooms, all located in the east wing of Arc Manor, whilst the adults stayed awake to converse.

From what Jaune could hear as he sat up in the dark, it was a very lively chat. Several words that the young boy didn't recognize were being thrown around, and by the sounds of it several large things were too. Jaune knew that his dad and his uncles would often get into friendly brawls, and the vision of the Arc men rolling around in a dust cloud within his mind spurred Jaune to look at the commotion.

Looking around, he saw six of his seven sisters. All of them, the Arc siblings I mean, slept in bunk beds. Jaune was on the top bunk, with the youngest of the seven sisters, Jean, older than him by three years, snoring loudly on the bottom. Carefully, Jaune climbed down the ladder, not intent on awaking his sister. He made the mistake of disturbing Jean's "beauty sleep" once, and he did not want to suffer the experience again. Granted, he didn't know that Jean was suffering through a special time that happened monthly, but a ten-year old boy generally doesn't know these things.

As he was creeping towards the Grand Hall in the center of the house, wearing only a white t-shirt and black shorts, the sounds of the brawl intensified. As he got nearer, he started to smell smoke. He also started hearing things, things that his parents would not allow him to hear or utter. Through all the swearing he heard, he saw one of his uncles barrel out through the wall. He was throttling a man Jaune didn't recognize right away. Then, he remembered something he saw in a news report a few weeks ago. It was a report about a bunch of evil men who had assaulted and killed several people in the government. If he remembered correctly, then his house was being attacked by the White Fang!

As he peeked through the hole his uncle and the intruder had made, he saw a scene he would rather not see again. There was fire everywhere in the Grand Hall. His elders were all locked in combat with White Fang forces, from his meek Uncle Louis to ornery Great-Grandma Arc, they were trying to fend back the attackers. Even so, as Jaune looked on, he could see how outnumbered his expansive family was. He could also see the damage done: swathes of grunts were knocked out, some actually slain, but all of his relatives were sporting small cuts and bruises. He eventually saw his own father, twin swords struggling against one member's chainsaw, blood dripping from their foreheads. Worried for his father, Jaune shouted.

"DAD!" Not expecting this, the Arc patriarch turned his head enough to see his son, staring at the fight through a hole in the wall.

"Jaune?!" The momentary distraction was enough for the White Fang member's chainsaw to break through his father's guard, sending him flying near the hole Jaune was peeking out of.

"DAD!"

Jaune's uncle, Pecos, noticed the ten-year old as he was shooting some grunts using his trusty revolver.

"Jaune! Git yer survival pack'n run! It's too dangerous right now!"

"But un-"

"Your uncle's right, Jaune," His father said to him as he was getting off the floor. "This situation's too dangerous for you right now!" He grunted as he parried an attack from the faunus with a chainsaw. "You're the youngest of the children right now, all of which are able to at least hold their own against these grunts. But you can't, not yet! Run to the woods, we'll look for you once the fight's over. Just go!"

Without skipping a beat, Jaune ran towards the room he shared with his sisters, dodging past the flames and debris that had spread. Luckily, the fire hadn't made it to the East Wing yet. As he got closer to the hallway his room was at, he heard more sounds of fighting, and saw all of his cousins and seven sisters engaged with the White Fang. Jean noticed him standing there, and he noticed the cuts on her face and arms. She deflected a sword strike with her spear before throwing a knapsack towards Jaune.

"Get out! We can handle this!" She punctuated this with knocking out the grunt she deflected using the butt of her spear. "Don't worry, nothing was removed from your pack! We even added Crocea Mors! Now go!"

Quickly checking his bag to see if all the essentials were there, clothes, a tent, his favorite manuscript, and Crocea Mors, the weapon he chose to use so long ago, he quickly put it on. Steeling himself, he crashed through a nearby window. As he landed outside, he noticed that most of the roof was burning. Some of the fights with the adults had made it to the roof, among them his father. He saw the large White Fang member from earlier bring down his chainsaw onto the Arc patriarch's blades, breaking them, and slashing him from the top of the left shoulder to under the right armpit. He didn't get away unscathed either, Jaune's dad blinding him in eye using one of his broken blades.

However, a certain blonde boy missed this. He was too busy running away, having only seen the man slash across his father's chest. He feared of the same thing happening too him, and all of the other Arcs. The fear guided him, making him run. Straight into the forest. Where, after a flash, he would not be seen again the Arc family, or anyone else for that matter, for over seven years.

* * *

 **A/N: $#!+, Screw, back at it aga-**

 **NEIN! I VILL DO NO MORE OF ZHESE MEMES! Besides, that was supposed to be a one time thing only.**

 **Well, here comes the next chapter of Monster Summoner. Guess what that flash at the end will be about, why don't ya? Also, the thing at the top will be for every chapter. No questions.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

As he ran through the woods outside his manor, Jaune'smind was racing. Questions popped p in his mind, but the most pressing question was: why? Why had the White Fang attacked his manor, his family? Jaune saw enough glimpses of the new to know that they were activists, wanting freedom from oppression for the faunus. He was also well aware of his family's view on the matter: the Arcs loved the faunus, and honestly didn't like how they were being treated across the kingdoms. That's why they packed up and left, moving from their ancestral home of Vale to the kingdom of Mistral, which was arguably the most faunus-friendly out of the four. They were also vocal with their dislike of faunus treatment, though not as much as most faunus-rights groups.

So, why? Why were they attacked by the White Fang? Why did he have to see his house burn, his father slashed across the chest right in front of his eyes. What happened that they would harm … No, it didn't matter now. The White Fang attacked their home without warning, and that was that. His family always fought as a last resort, and if they were fighting, then that meant his family had tried the diplomatic approach. The White Fang just refused to listen.

As a result, Jaune had to run through the woods so that he wouldn't get hurt. He knew that they were looking out for him the most: he was the weakest Arc of this generation, and his family was worried that he may get himself killed in the attack. Sure, the reasons made him happy that he had a loving family to care for him, as if that feeling hadn't been fed any time today during his birthday, but he hated how he wasn't part of the fight. Still, they had a point. His aura was just recently unlocked, and was sure to be weak, alongside the rest of his body.

Jaune knew he wasn't as strong as the rest of his family when they were ten. He was born as the most pacifistic Arc child, and didn't put in that much effort with his training. Sure, he was definitely physically fit, but his combat skills weren't the best. He probably would've been more of a nuisance, a liability rather than help.

Jaune knew this, of course. That didn't mean he had to like it.

As he rushed through the forest, he eventually came to a clearing. Catching a breather, the boy allowed himself to rest on a rock. Setting down his pack next to him, he let out a small sob. Why did the White Fang have to attack? And on his birthday, HIS BIRTHDAY, of all days? His small sobs eventually became louder in volume. But because he was loud, that didn't mean that he couldn't notice any other sounds nearby.

Behind him, through the wailing, Jaune heard a twig break. "Snapping" out of his crying, he looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound, hoping it wasn't the White Fang. As he looked around, several more twigs snapping instilled a small bit of fear inside. He then saw it, a small pair of red shapes in the dark. They grew in number, with the clearing almost completely lined with them. Snarling started to be emitted by the trees around Jaune.

He widened his eyes. This was definitely worse than the White Fang. At least they weren't beings that grew stronger with fear. Quickly scrambling to get his sword and shield out, he managed to arm himself just as soon as one of the creatures emerged from the darkness.

It was a creature of Grimm, a Beowulf to be exact. Grimm held a certain sort of resemblance to typical animals found in nature; the Beowulf had the claws, paws, tail and head of a standard wolf. However, they stood on their two hind legs, appearing almost like the wolf monsters of lore, had it not been for the bony white structures appearing from their spines, along with the fact they don't seem to fancy necrophiliac women who like shiny vampires. While they more closely resembled fictional wolves than actual ones, they were at least pack hunters, like the latter. The ones coming out, joining the first member, were your standard Beowulves. Hanging back in the shadows, with bits of its bone-white armor shining the moon's reflected light, was the leader of a pack, an Alpha Beowulf. These were much tougher than a normal Beowulf, with larger claws and maws, bigger muscles, and more bone armor on their body.

Several of the Beowulves had come out of hiding, backing the poor and quivering boy into a small corner of the clearing. Counting their glowing red eyes, he calculated that there was a pack of ten Beowulves and one Alpha. He did not like those odds at all. His sword and shield, shaking in his hands, would only delay the inevitable by a short amount. A couple of the Beowulves, wanting to squeeze out more fear from the blonde, hopped a bit forward, not too close to Jaune, but close enough to make the boy flinch. Hiding behind his shield, he lowered it, and with a shaky voiced shouted at the pack.

"QUIT TOYING WITH ME!"

They didn't listen. Instead, they toyed even more with the boy. One of them leaped right in front of Jaune, showing his teeth. He leapt back as the boy clumsily let loose a flurry of uncoordinated sword swings. The boy didn't notice it, but his frustration and fear, a small wish inside of him that screamed _protect me!_ , had made the tip of his sword glow. As he swung it in a flurry, the streaks of light from the sword swings made a mark in the air. As he stopped, energy wasted from his useless movements seeping out of his mouth as panting, he noticed the glow of the mark in front of him, as well as the Beowulves backing up. As he looked closer, it appeared to be Oriental Eastern in look, mixed in with the Arc crest.

Before he could study it some more, it flashed with a light that blinded those in the clearing. As the light dimmed, Jaune blinked his eyes. Around him, he saw twelve blue creatures he had not seen before. They were reptilian in shape, looking like some of the dinosaurs he saw in that one movie. They had blue scales, black stripes running horizontally across their backs. The hands were bent, looking like a chicken wing's, with five claws on each hand. The legs were bent like that of a bird's, and their inner toes were larger than most of their three- toed foot, with a large hooked claw. They all had yellow beaks, sharp teeth inside. They all also had a dull red crest. Two of them stood out, however. They were larger than the others, and their crests were brighter. Four of their claws, the middle one on each hand and the big claws on their toes, were far larger than the claws on the others and were bright red in coloration. On each of their faces, appearing over their eyes, was the Arc crest.

As suddenly as they came, the two biggest… lizard-things let out a high-pitched screech. At this, they all leapt into the air, landing hard upon the Beowulves, with the big two leaping over the trees too and onto the Alpha. The Grimm, thrown off by their sudden appearance, decided to fight back. All across the clearing, there was biting and slashing going on. The Beowulves that had managed to get their attackers off their backs kept on charging at them, trying to claw them or bite them. They were too fast however, and each Beowulf kept on having a new slash mark on their bodies. The Alpha was forced out of the clearing by the two big ones, slash marks all over its face. The one of the two leapt out, covered in smaller cuts than the Alpha. It was batted away with both arms, leaving the Alpha open for the other big lizard-thing to come up and get a free hit in. This process continued, each one alternating so that they get the least damage done to them and the most done to the Alpha.

Eventually, they managed to win the brawl when the Alpha's head managed to get cleaved off. The rest of the Beowulves were also slain, succumbing to the numerous cuts done to them by the blue reptiles. With the battle ended, the reptiles raised their heads high into the air, giving out a celebratory screech.

Jaune was stunned. Not only had these things come from nowhere, they also managed to down a Beowulf pack, with no casualties. One of them was even cuddling to his arm… wait, what? Jumping back in surprise, Jaune hid behind his shield, waiting for an attack. One that didn't come. Lowering his shield, he looked to see one of the creatures, one of the small ones, looking at him curiously. Another one appeared to his side, carrying his pack in its beak. It set it down in front of Jaune, who carefully took it from the ground in front of him and put it on. Still regarding the unknown creatures with a bit of terror, he reached out with one hand, and petted one of the things on the neck. It closed its eyes, moved around its head, and its body made movements that told Jaune to pet it more. Jaune let loose some of the fear inside.

"This isn't so bad, not really at all."

Without any warning, none at all, another bright light flashed for less than half of a second. It looked almost like a warp, really. An appropriate choice of word, as suddenly no creature was left in the clearing. Just a bunch of odd footprints, and the prints from one blonde boy's shoes.

* * *

 **A/N: Once again, another chapter. And to that guest who thought the flash had something to do with Jaggis and flashbombs... well, it was originally supposed to be Jaggis and one Great Jaggi in the first place. Still got the reason for the flash wrong.**

 **Also, yeah, long update times plus short chapters does suck. Probably not as bad as my week. Ugh, the crap I had to endure... makes head hurt... ugh...**

 **But I did say that this was to be a couple, somewhere between ten and twenty, chapters with low amount of content, definitely below 2k words, author notes included. Also, these 10-to-20 chapters are supposed to be a prologue of sorts... to the actual Volume 1 of the show. They are set beforehand, after all. Yes, that's my reasoning.**

 **With all the crazy crap out of the way... hopefully... I can assure you that these will be uploaded anywhere between two-to-three times a week. Currently making up for the last seven days by purging out three in two days. Hope ya happy.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

A bright light flashed, and suddenly Jaune experienced a change of venue… alongside the nausea one would get from, say, motion sickness. Getting on his knees, Jaune spat out all the bile that had accumulated at the back of his throat, heaving for a good fifteen seconds.

"Urraaaaggghhh, noraaagggggghhhh, gaaaarrrgh, oh loorrrrrrrrd, what did I do to deserve this? Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

After finishing up his vomiting, then dry heaving, Jaune sheathed Crocea Mors and took a gander at his new location. It definitely wasn't the forest back home- these woods had large, crumbling, moss-covered ruins of an ancient civilization in them. Going closer to the ruins, he could see writings on the wall in a language he was unable to comprehend. While he was busy studying the markings on the wall, he heard a sound similar to the sound of breaking glass. Turning around, he saw those unknown reptiles he… summoned? Well, apparently something was wrong with the creatures. They looked uncomfortable, dazed, shaking their heads around. The Arc crest on their faces had turned orange, and had small cracks over it.

Jaune felt worried for the creatures. Inching closer to one of them, he held out a hand. It back away, with slight fear in its eyes. Before long, another crack appeared over the crests, which turned red. Jaune's hand, still outstretched, was almost bit by the particular creature he reached it out towards. Looking around, he saw that all of the reptiles were looking at him oddly. He felt like rabbit surrounded by wolves. Then, a burst of red electricity surged through them all, making them screech in pain. Reaching out another hand, it too was snapped at before the head of the snapper recoiled back in pain from the shocks.

With what he had, Jaune made a hypothesis. Those marks over their eyes, his crests, weren't normally there. They would allow him some sort of friendly connection to the beasts. When they cracked and turned orange, they started to act a bit violent towards Jaune. When they turned red, they were only being held back from attacking Jaune thanks to the mysterious red electricity. With each change, there were cracks appearing, like they were breaking. Jaune thought about this. If they got more violent each time the crests, in a sense, broke, what would happen should the crests shatter?

"Oh crap!"

He turned tail and ran, hoping that they wouldn't be able to catch him. His head start managed to buy him a minute before the Arc crests turned black and shattered. The predators, free from their confinement, ran after the delicious looking blonde morsel that rudely ran away from them. As they were rushing the path he took, noticeable by the prints and disturbed foliage, they managed to catch up with him as the trees started to thin out.

Hearing noises behind him, Jaune slightly turned his head back to see the pack that had protected him from the Beowulves chasing after him, mouths drooling, probably wanting to turn him into a buffet! The sight of their drooling mouths made more adrenaline pump through his limbs, propelling him faster. It was not fast enough, as one of the critters nipped at the seat of his pants. Yelping, he thought to himself that he needed to lose some weight. Hurriedly, he removed his survival pack, tossing it backwards at the pack. This bought him some extra time, as they all stopped to tear at it, possibly smelling the food inside.

Jaune didn't care, he didn't look back. With the heavy load gone, he was definitely faster now, and currently running like hell. A minute had gone by, and just when Jaune thought he lost them and was slowing down, he heard the familiar screeches.

"HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPP!"

He didn't dare to look back this time, already knowing what it was. With his slight increase in speed, it did take more time for them to catch up with the boy. Instinctively, his body pumped him with aura, bolstering his speed even more. The race of sorts between Jaune and the monsters had cooked up a small cloud of dust behind them all. Eventually, they came to a cliff side. Waiting until the last moment, Jaune made a sharp ninety-degree turn at the edge of the cliff, and bolted along the side of the face. Based on the noises, some of the members of the pack fell over. However, there was still the sounds of a chase behind him, so he pressed on. One of the two bigger creatures eventually caught up to him, running beside him.

Thinking fast, and mentally apologizing to his family and ancestors for this, he took out the blade half of Crocea Mors, unclipped the shield part, and chucked it at the thing next to him. It got hit in the eye, slowing it down for the rest of the pack to catch up. Without the heavy shield, Jaune once again managed to speed up. While they were running along the side of the cliff, Jaune picked up a small pebble while he was running. Without looking, he tossed it behind him, hoping to trip the things and send some of them over the cliff. Hearing some in agony, and hearing some collide with the cliff face, he knew his small ploy had worked. Casting a glance behind as he still kept running, he saw that not all of them had fallen prey to his tactics. Currently, there were three left, two small ones and one large one.

Looking back ahead, Jaune saw himself as screwed. He didn't notice it, but the way had narrowed, making there enough room for the three creatures to fit side by side. Up ahead they were almost upon a small platform over the cliff. Here, he would be cornered, only able to try and fend off their attacks horribly. They did stop upon it, with Jaune managing to not send himself over the edge as he was still braking from his run. He turned around, back to the very long drop, and front facing the blue reptiles.

Shakily, he held out his sword, both hands on the handle. He was visibly shaking, and he knew that he would be ended here. But he was an Arc, and Arcs never went out with a whimper! Determination in his blue eyes, ten year old Jaune Arc was about to show the fruits of his labor to these things. One of the smaller ones leapt forth, claws first. Holding his sword out, he allowed the thing to impale itself on the blade of Crocea Mors. Desperately trying to ignore the blood that spilled forth, he pulled the beast off with his foot, before looking to see that the other one was rushing towards him. With a grunt, he swung the blade of his ancestors to the right. The reptile caught it with its teeth and hand claws, struggling against Jaune. It was trying to remove the sharp thing that killed its brethren from the blonde foodstuff in front of it. Jaune was pushing back, trying to not let Crocea Mors loose from his hand. In the end, Jaune won, managing to push the thing back before lopping its head off with another horizontal swing.

With the blood of his enemies over him, Jaune, still a mostly ten-year old boy, was trying his best not to break down. Not now, when there was another one of these thing in front of him that wanted nothing more than to bite his own head off. Lunging at the bigger one, Jaune tried for a downwards slash. Still in midair, the thing merely turned around, whacking him with its tail. The knockback almost sent Jaune over the cliff, had he not stabbed Crocea Mors into the ground so that he wouldn't slide off.

With his still newly-unlocked aura, that hit took out quite a bit of it, as Jaune could feel. Either he would get sent off this cliff, or he would mauled, whichever one he didn't know. Both were really the only two ways he could get out of this. He could tell he wouldn't be able to hold his own for long against the thing currently in front of him. If there was another thing that was for certain, however…

"I will lie down like a dog! If I'm gonna get eaten today, then you can swallow Crocea Mors as well!"

Once again, he charged at it. Determined, ready to go out with a bang.

Out of nowhere, a large mallet appeared, smashing the head of the raptor in front of him. As all Jaune could do was gawk at what happened, a man walked up from behind the downed animal. He was a big one, heavyset. Wearing white and light blue attire, his skin was dark, and he had long dark hair. He went over to the mallet, which Jaune saw looked like a fist. A square-ish, stone, moss covered fist. Grabbing it by the handle, he walked over to Jaune, who could now see that the Man's ears had weird pointy ends, like an elf or something. Going over to the stunned boy, who promptly fell on his rump, he extended an arm, revealing a hand with a yellow glove/mitten thing over it. With a deep voice, he said these words:

"Do you need any help?"

The exhaustion from running and fighting, plus the fact that Jaune is faint at heart, especially since he was covered with the blood of two of the dinosaur-esque creatures, gave him an answer.

Jaune fainted.

* * *

 **A/N: I said it, it's delivered. Three in two days.**

 **Anybody want to take a guess on the identity of THE MAN who saved Jaune from the Velocidrome? Hint: capital "C" Caravan and MH4 (Ultimate).**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	5. Chapter 5

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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"Ohhh, my head… ahh…"

These were the first words Jaune uttered as he woke up. Sitting up, he noticed that he appeared to be in a camp of sorts, one made in a clearing. He was sleeping on a warm, soft, fur mattress, one that covered a small log. He was sitting in front of the remains of a fire, if the blackened ground and lack of orange and red flickers were something to go by. On the other side, there was another makeshift bed, like the one he was on, but bigger. He looked around, and noticed a small forge of sorts behind him. A small slab of… some metal, probably for the anvil, was situated next to a small lake, probably to cool the heated weapons. There was also a larger pit of fire next to the anvil, filled with unlit charcoal, along with a large rock that could've been the whetstone. There was also a set of tools and materials laying on the ground nearby.

As he tried to move, he felt pain over his body. His back ached, like he had slept on the ground, and his head was throbbing horribly. Good lord, what exactly did he _do_ last night? He remembered the birthday thrown for him yesterday, that was really fun, and then he remembered going to sleep via sugar crash. But all his aches couldn't have been just because he had a tad too much cake last night, right? There had to have been something else. Then, more memories came into his mind. He remembered a fire, and a feeling of fear watched over him. He started remembering the White Fang, and him being forced to run away. He remembered the pack of Beowulves, and then that odd pack that appeared soon afterwards. He remembered being brought to some strange forest, then having to run for his life, and then having to do in those creatures. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was…

"So you have awoken." Coming out of the woods was a large man, the same large man that had helped Jaune earlier by killing that big monster. Peering over his shoulder, Jaune could see the handle of the hammer the man had with him last night, or rather early this morning. The man was carrying a large grey egg in his arms. "We both may have questions for each other. However, those can be answered after breakfast. I'm making scrambled eggs. While I cook, let your Aura continue healing you."

"Uh, sure, okay sir."

* * *

While they were eating breakfast, the Q&A session started. Jaune threw the first one.

"Sooo… who exactly are you?" The man in front of him gave a grunt.

"I've forgotten my name. Simply enough, my friends used to call me The Man. You may call me that as well. As for who I am in occupation, I am a blacksmith, an adventurer, and currently a denizen of this archipelago." The Man's face was impassive as he ate right now. Jaune's was not. He found it almost sad, really. Forgetting your own name? Part of an Arc's pride _was_ their name. It was what they would make oaths on, it was a perfect representation of who they were. Jaune wouldn't think about not having a name, and only being called something like "The Boy" or something along those lines. Then, something about what he just said clicked inside Jaune's mind.

"Wait, an archipelago?" Sensing the confusion in the boy's words, The Man explained.

"Yes, that is correct. We are currently on the main and largest island of a supposedly mythical group of islands, or archipelago. My friend, the leader of the caravan I traveled with, named this place the Dundorma Islands. The island we are currently on is named Kokoto."

Jaune felt a bit of despair, now knowing that there is a heavy chance he won't get rescued. Still, there was a small spark of hope within him.

"You said you were once part of a caravan, right? So you have a ship or something, right?"

"Nay, our ship, the Arluq, was destroyed when we landed on this island five years ago."

Jaune let this information sink in. So here he was, somehow teleported to a mysterious archipelago that everyone believes is a myth. One that, for all he knows people won't be chasing after. And the only other person he has here for any kind of solace is The Man in front of him. And they had no way out.

Happy birthday indeed.

"Now that I have answered your questions," The Man started. Deciding to lament over what happened after breakfast, Jaune showed The Man that he was listening to him. "Please answer mine. We'll start basic: who are you?"

"My name is Jaune Luna Arc." He held his chin as he contemplated what Jaune said.

"An Arc, hmm? An interesting and mildly famous name. One that I'm partially acquainted with. Why is an Arc lost in these islands?"

"Well, first I think it's best if I explain some arc views on birthdays…"

As such, Jaune told The Man everything. About how his Aura was unlocked just yesterday. About the fire that ravaged his home, the White Fang attacking his family. How he was told to run away for his own safety. His fearful meeting with the pack of Beowulves, and how he was saved by the unexpected arrival of those weird blue reptilian creatures. He told of how he was suddenly transported to an unknown forest, and then of how the seemingly docile beasts had turned savage, wanting him for a snack. He recalled to the man how he lost his pack, and half of his ancestral weapon. And he then got to the point where he met the man.

"… and when I was standing my ground, ready to charge at it, then you came in. We both know what happened after that." Jaune was lightly crying right now, having recalled the sad memories so that he could tell his story so far. This did not go unnoticed by The Man, who simply went to Jaune's side and put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's a sad story, that is true. I know the pain of being separated from a loved one, unsure whether or not we would meet again. I just finished burying one of them when I came across you. Allow me to at least be by your side for now. Let them flow." It honestly wasn't much for Jaune to release. As he dried up his tears, he looked up at the man next to him, and nodded.

"I'm alright now, thanks."

"Good. Now, let's try and move on to another matter at hand. You said that you were able to turn those Velocipreys and two Velocidromes to your side, correct?"

"You mean those weird creatures?"

"My friend named the small raptors Velocipreys, due to their resemblance to depictions of a certain dinosaur. He named the bigger ones Velocidromes. And yes, I do mean those creatures."

"Actually, yeah I was." The way this conversation turned gave Jaune another question for The Man to answer. "Wait, are there any other animals like those Veloci-things you were talking about?" Thrown off track by the question, The Man was about to answer when suddenly a piercing roar filled the air. The Man knew that roar, and he knew that if Jaune could be easily beat by a Velocidrome, then he would not survive this.

"Jaune! Hide on the outskirts of the clearing! If you couldn't beat a Velocidrome, then you would survive this!" Doing as he was told, he was surprised to see a great blue bear enter the clearing. Just like an Ursa, it had an armored head and back, and heavy looking claws. It was charging towards the middle of the clearing, straight at The Man. He rolled to the side, then took his massive hammer from his back. Reeling up for a blow, he waited for the bear to come to him. Standing up on its hind legs, the blue bear waved its arms in front of its face, roaring, trying to intimidate The Man, to no avail. Instead, he took this moment to strike, Running up to the bear and hitting it with an upwards strike. Instantly getting enraged, the bear retaliated by haphazardly swing its claws around. Rolling away, The Man waited until it stopped its combo before hitting it in the side using his hammer. He then chained it into a downwards smash, once again rolling away as the bear tried spun around with a claw sweep. Repeating his combo, The Man briefly stunned the bear. Taking this moment, he spun around at hit it with an upwards strike that looked similar to that of a golfers. In pain and tired, the bear opted to exit the clearing, not wanting to be slain right there.

Sheathing away his hammer, The Man turned around to see Jaune kneeling on the ground. His head was bowed, and his hands were raised, Crocea Mors being held by them.

"Please help train me in fighting!" The Man looked apprehensive at this.

"Are you sure about your decision, Jaune? As you can see, I am more proficient with using a hammer than I am with a sword. And did you not already have combat practice before meeting me?" even so, Jaune was steadfast.

"I don't care, I still want you to teach me how to defend myself! Especially in a place like this, where there could be dangers worse than the Velocidrome and that bear!" Jaune could hear The Man contemplating something. He then heard a sigh, and then the sounds of feet walking away. Raising his head up, he saw The Man approach Jaune with a kite shield, similar to the one he lost, and a small journal. Tossing the shield and journal to Jaune, he could see the journal was opened to one page. It had a doodle of the bear on it, with the name Arzuros under the doodle. Under the name were three stars. On the other page was the picture of what appeared to be a green fire-breathing dragon. Under the picture was a name, Rathian, and under that were four stars.

"I still don't think I could train you well, Jaune. However, I could use a helping hand in gathering materials to forge with. And the creatures of this island have unique parts and pieces that are excellent for weapons and armor. Like a friend once said, nothing is a better teacher than nature itself. So, Jaune, do you think you could become a Hunter to help me?"

It wasn't exactly what Jaune wanted. He wasn't sure if he could handle slaying the animals living on the islands. But seeing as how there indeed seemed to be stronger creatures in the archipelago, and he wanted to survive, Jaune felt that any offer where he would get stronger would be great.

"Alright, I accept!"

* * *

 **A/N: A bit more backstory for the Capital C Caravan and MH4U's blacksmith. I won't show much in the way with combat for him, because this is primarily Jaune's show.**

 **Whew, cutting it close here. Need to be more careful or I'll break my limit.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	6. Chapter 6

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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* * *

Days had one by since the two had met. Right now, in the clearing they reside in, the two were in the middle of their bi-weekly spar. While it was slightly different than the agreement they made six months ago, Jaune managed to convince The Man to add sparring to his training.

The half-year was relatively tough for the ten-year old boy. Since he was contracted as sorts by the burly blacksmith, Jaune has had to face his demons and slay several of the island's natural fauna once a day, every day. With some hunts, it was against the weaker predators of the island, the ones listed as two-star in the Dundorma Islands bestiary. Most of these hunts were on the relatively mild and forested Kokoto Island. After these, there was a lesson on basic operations: mining for ores, foraging for safe plant life to eat, foraging for other plant life as useful tools, mushroom gathering, bug catching and fishing. However, the passing of another week required him to cross over to the other islands in the archipelago. This was accomplished by Jaune swimming across the short, but deep, stretches of water between the islands, The Man not far behind. This allowed him to experience several different types of biomes in this unique chain of islands.

First week on the different islands, it was a set of desert islands, an area The Man's deceased companion named Val Habar. The going on the islands were rough, as the sun often blazed high in the sky overhead. Some spots of the dunes were definitely hotter than others, slightly burning Jaune. This was matched by the desert islands at night, which were the polar opposite of the islands at day. The temperatures were often near freezing point. The sandy terrain also made it relatively difficult to hunt- were he to attempt to block, he would lose his ground easier. Should he attempt to dodge, the sand would be kicked up, providing little momentum. The same can be stated for running, which more of an issue considering he often had to leap over several chasms with a bit of ledge overhanging to get to some of the islands. He was also subjected to rock climbing, as sometimes the areas of land overlooking water were wide and high, and Jaune was to jump, land on the cliff surface, and climb back up. Luckily, these issues only lasted for a week before they had to swim back to Kokoto Island.

However, the next set of islands, the Pokke area, was a rather different scenario altogether. The reason being that these islands were almost all covered in ice, snow, and overall tundra. The everlasting frost on these islands sapped his stamina constantly, and the frequent, random snowstorms were a pain to deal. While the shifting sands made it hard to gain hold of the terrain, the large amount of snow made it difficult for Jaune to move his legs. It was hard for him to dodge attacks fast enough, and trying to run through the snow was difficult at its best. Lucky for him, some parts of the island weren't covered in snow- instead, there were floors of ice. Which was like the sand, but worse, as he was constantly sliding around. Which made it a perilous journey for him, as some of the separate islands could only be accessed by bridges of ice. But just like the Val Habar area, there were plenty of cliffs Jaune could jump off of, then try to climb up the opposite face. One lesson Jaune learned was that ice climbing was more difficult than rock climbing, since the holds were slipperier. One week of cold Hades, then they revisited the nice forest.

Another island, as it wasn't a set this time, Jaune and The Man visited was an island called Yukumo. It was mountainous, with the island's single shore already part of one mountain, with several others making the island practically void of anything but mountains. Since they were mountains, the altitude was high. While Jaune's movements were lighter due to decreased pressure, he was out of breath more often. He was also forced to breathe differently due to lack of oxygen at high levels. These were also a bit fun for Jaune, as they would sometimes mine for ores and stumble upon glittering caverns. Tuesdays through Thursdays on Yukumo Isle, the duo trekked toward the lone active volcano, called Harth. Said volcano was, as one would expect, hot. Very hot, worse than desert at day. It wasn't just the base of the volcano they visited, of course. No, instead they also climbed up Harth, reaching places with wide, flowing lava rivers and the foul magma lakes. They would also venture into volcanic caves, where there is even more danger of burning to death. Since it was a rather short volcano, they often completed their pleasant mountain hikes quickly.

The next area in the cycle was one called Cheeko. This was an area of small islands filled with jungles, some containing the occasional swamp. While the hot air wasn't too much, there were obstacles too. Parts of the jungle were thick with flora, often to the point were navigation was almost impossible. Some areas had actual poison instead of water, which was definitely unpleasant. Speaking of water, some parts required wading, which had the same effect as snow did for Jaune. Same with muddy areas. Also, several hunts required him to swim around. Which he did often on Kokoto island hunts, with some targets living beneath the waves. But with the Cheeko swamps, there was nothing but murk everywhere. It was quite difficult for him to see, much less try to fight his way out.

All in all, they were a rough six months for the ten-year old. Especially since he wore no armor for his entire training. He was offered a basic set of Derring armor he could wear, but Jaune refused. This was because he thought that he would get more out of it if he did not rely on armor (besides, he had his Aura anyways). In truth, it had helped bolster his body's natural resistance to heat, cold, and poison because poison rivers.

Jaune also had a difficult time in adapting, not to environments but to using different weapons styles. The Man had experimented with Jaune, giving him pre-assigned weapons for a hunt. Some days, he used a gigantic blade to, say, fend off a group of those pink and purple raptors named Jaggi in Val Habar. Others involved duel wielding blades to hunt down a couple Ludroth from Cheeko. Maybe Jaune was given a bow and arrow to shoot at Blangos on a Pokke-area island. Suffice to say, he was only good at using three of the weapon types/combinations The Man presented him with: a sword-and-shield combo, dual blades, and using a longsword. After two months of continued usage of a variety of weapons, The Man stopped giving him any other weapons aside from the sword and shield, dual blades, and long sword.

As of current, Jaune was sparring against The Man, the blacksmith using a different, obviously weaker iron hammer than his "Fist of Fury", Jaune practicing using a katana made from a large bone. They started their spar after they had come back from a couple hours of mining ores. Currently, it was night time, with the fireplace between their logs lit.

The match had progressed smoothly, Jaune being able to deflect and roll away from some of The Man's heavier attacks. However, Jaune was running out of energy, both stamina wise and aura wise, while The Man kept his usual calm composure. Right now, the man was rushing toward Jaune, aiming to hit him using the eye of his hammer. Jaune parried the blow off to the side using his large bone, and rolled in the opposite direction of the parry, which was good as The Man slammed his hammer down where Jaune was earlier. Taking advantage of the window, Jaune leapt back at The Man, vertically slashing down. The Man was not as helpless as Jaune thought, as he deflected the swing to the side with the rapid rising of his hammer's peen. Spinning back around, he slapped Jaune away using the cheek of his hammer. The last hit made Jaune's remaining aura too weak to continue anything else but healing all his small bruises. As he rolled over to get up, the sharp tip of the iron hammer stopped centimeters from his face.

Noting how late it was, The Man hefted Jaune up and onto his feet. Taking the bone away from Jaune, The Man walked to his forge near the lake. As he was walking, he turned his head and spoke to Jaune from over his shoulder.

"Get some rest, Jaune. Remember, tomorrow, you hunt your first three-star: the Great Jaggi."

* * *

 **A/N: Yep, another chapter uploaded. One that would be great for a montage scene were it to be animated. Comes with a slight bit of action. Very slight.**

 **In case anyone is confused, here's the island cycle:  
Kokoto, Val Habar, Kokoto, Pokke, Kokoto, Yukumo, Kokoto, Cheeko. Rinse and repeat, all the Kokoto island ones are the odd numbered weeks.**

 **Anyways, think of some islands as being the size as a location in any Monster Hunter game, one with more than three areas in it. Although, some islands could be as big as an area like Castle Schrade in the past games. Some are as big as Central Park in NYC. Others are mini-islands like the one in Spongebob, or in the case of the Pokke area, just large ice floes. Yukumo and Kokoto are the two biggest islands, but are still relatively small, taking up around 26 square miles each. That's approximately a 13 hour trip if one walks from end to end.  
**

 **For you guys wondering what weapons they were using, it was the War Hammer and the Large Bone.**

 **Before I forget, the amount of stars changes for some monsters so I can match it better with the creatures of Grimm.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	7. Chapter 7

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

"There he is."

Jaune was slinking through the forest, making sure that he wouldn't be spotted. There, among the trees, was a pack of Jaggi and Jaggia. These creatures had an odd coloration for pack hunters- bright purple and pink across their bodies, which should have made them easy enough to spot in a lush, green forest like this, not counting their wide frills. But somehow, the pack had managed to take down a rather large catch, a greyish colored dinosaur-esque creature called the Apotonoth. They were currently settled in a ring surrounding the carcass, the Jaggi jumping around and the Jaggia laying on the dirt.

In the center of the ring stood a larger version of the Jaggi. With an almost completely purple hide, small red lines streaking across the front of its body and edging its frills, it was truly worthy of the not-so creative name of Great Jaggi. Its muzzle was currently coated with red, a sight which made Jaune sick. Despite all the hunts he's gone on, the ten year old just couldn't stomach the sight of blood for too long. Which made carving the bodies difficult…

Anyway, with the scent of blood covering its nostrils, plus the mixture of dirt, plants and… dung… that he slathered himself with, his presence was unknown to the group. Both his, and The Man's, who was currently watching farther back behind more trees. His job was to make sure Jaune doesn't die as he takes on his first three-star monster.

 _If he can do this, then he should be able to take on an Alpha or a Major… if he gets back home, that is._

As he got in position to strike, he readied Crocea Mors and the bone shield he would be using for this hunt.

 _Calm down, Jaune… you can do this… just breathe._

He made it to a branch, above of and to the right of his target. Readying himself, he leapt off the branch. He landed atop the surprised pack leader, who tried to rid himself of the nuisance on his back. He jumped around, twisting and turning all the way. He even attempted to hip-check several trees to try and dislodge the hunter. The Jaggi surrounding the two tried to help their leader, trying to jump on his back and do away with Jaune themselves. The Great Jaggi's erratic movements made it difficult to hold a spot for longer than an instance, however, and its lengthy tail swatted aside those that tried to come from the back. All the while, Jaune held on good and tight, trying not to let go. Since his shield was strapped to one of his arms, he wildly swung it at the back of the head whenever he could, trying not to fall off with only one hand grasping the bucking beast. After several good whacks to the head, the Great Jaggi then fell to the ground sideways, with Jaune jumping off. It wasn't unconscious, like its younger male counterparts, though, if the flailing about was any indication.

Taking his chance, Jaune went to the head of the wyvern, wanting to end this quickly. Forgoing any semblance of skill, almost to The Man's disappointment, slashing rapidly at the face and frills. Neither the hunters nor the predators noticed the soft, brilliant glow emitting from Crocea Mors, nor the small symbol that was being created midair. Jumping back, Jaune instinctively charged more Aura into his sword, and jumped back forward, swinging the ancestral sword down with a mighty slash. Unfortunately, the GJ managed to right itself on time, the slash missing the face, but hitting the symbol.

As it got up, the Great Jaggi looked pissed. Its imperial face was messed up, cuts and scratches marring it. At the very least, its frill was not damaged yet. Suddenly, a sword was thrust at its face once again. The Great Jaggi moved its head to the side, the sword barely scratching its cheek this time… and cutting off most of the left side of the frill. The Great Jaggi howled like a wolf, and all the Jaggi that were knocked out by their boss's thrashing were back on their feet again, the Jaggia awakening from their afternoon siesta and joining the juvenile males.

Something was off about a couple of the pack when they got up. In front of their eyes, glowing a bright yellow, was the Arc crest, mixed in with another symbol similar to the one that first appeared with the Velocipreys and Velocidrome. Jaune and The Man took notice of this, as well as some of the other Jaggi and Jaggia. The Great Jaggi, in its rage at having its frill destroyed, paid no heed, instead howling like a wolf again. This caught the attention of all present, and the Jaggi and Jaggia went to assault Jaune. They were stopped by the Jaggi and Jaggia that had that strange marking in front of their eyes. This of course confused the hunters and the pack, the enraged boss monster included. The members with the symbol took the moment, and attacked the other Jaggi and Jaggia. Realizing they were being attacked, they retaliated. As the jagged claws and toothy maws were flying everywhere, Jaune and the Great Jaggi had another go at each other.

The Great Jaggi lunged forward with a bite, one Jaune managed to block, before doing it again. Pushed up against the bone shield, the two battled for dominance. Jaune quickly turned around, allowing the Great Jaggi to stumble through. Spinning around, he delivered a horizontal slash to the Boss's right side, but in turn was slammed into a tree by the Great Jaggi's thick tail. It rushed to Jaune, following up the tail with a hip check. Rolling out of the way in time, Jaune saw the tree fall over the wyvern. Without hesitation, he went for a jumping slash to the monster's body. The thicker hide of the Great Jaggi allowed for only a scratch, enough to draw some blood but not enough for the Great Jaggi to bleed out.

It twisted around, trying to catch Jaune in its jaws. It followed up with several more snaps of its jaw, each one avoided by the yellow hunter. At the last one, Jaune, rolled over to the left side, managing to score several more slashes before being thrown back by a hip-check. Landing on his back, he quickly rolled to the side before getting back up. Facing the wyvern again, he saw another hip-check aimed at him. Without time to dodge, he quickly raised his bone shield, blocking the attack. Pumping Aura into his leg, he and the boss wyvern once again clashed in a battle of strength, hard shield pushing against a well-muscled body. While the two struggled, Jaune used the opportunity, and repeatedly stabbed at the side of the predator. Feeling the pain, it allowed Jaune to push it over, him tumbling over its body while it rolled on the ground. Getting up, both Jaune and the Great Jaggi saw how tired the other was- the hunter was panting heavily, the wyvern doing the same. With another howl, it once again went for a lunging bite aimed at Jaunes head. Crouching down, Jaune dodged the attack, and used his shield to uppercut the Great Jaggi.

Staggering, it turned around, and lashed out with its tail once more. Ducking the swipe, he was greeted by the feeling of jaws biting his sword arm. Crying out in pain, Jaune repeatedly shield bashed the eye of the Great Jaggi. As it slowly lost vision in its left eye, it eventually let go of Jaune's arm. Turning its head back to Jaune, it became enraged once again. Without any semblance of cognitive thought, the Great Jaggi just repeatedly hip-checked its surroundings. As it tried to hit Jaune, the blonde kept on dodging backwards and to the side. Eventually, the two made it to the bank of a small stream. Slashing out with his sword, the Great Jaggi caught Crocea Mors in its maws. With a flick of its neck, it yanked the sword out of Jaunes grip, and threw it in the water.

As Jaune went after it, he was knocked down by a tail swipe. Rolling over so that his front was to the sky, he felt the foot of the Great Jaggi upon his chest, and saw the muzzle open and ready to strike his neck. Bringing up his shield, he angled it so that it would get stuck in the wyvern's jaws. Trying to dislodge the shield from its mouth, it moved enough so that Jaune could scramble to his feet. Running to his sword, he tripped over a pebble, his hand barely touching the hilt. Grasping it, he turned his head just to see the Great Jaggi behind him, having spat out the shield. As the jaws opened, Jaune moved to the side. In almost perfect slow motion, Crocea Mors once again went into the open maw. But it kept on moving, cutting through the tendons in the mouth, through the long neck, and finally exiting the base of the Great Jaggi's neck, completely separating the lower jaw and part of the neck from the beast. The body tumbled to the ground, laying in the stream, turning he waters pinkish red. With a cry of exhilaration at survival, Jaune raised his sword high into the sky.

Hearing rumbling from the bushes, he turned his head. Any fear was allayed, though, as it was only The Man that appeared from the foliage.

"You could use some work, especially on capitalizing moments of weakness." Not wanting to hear this type of talk, Jaune turned his head to face the bed of the stream. "However," The Man continued, "you did admirably. I had no doubt that you would be able to slay it." Walking over to the hunter, he placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Good job, Jaune." Both of them shared a smile.

The moment was ruined, however, as The Man suddenly sported a look of fear on his face. Grasping Jaune, he quickly sent the two of them to the river bed, just as a large, red and yellow creature swooped where they had been. Jaune's eyes widened in horror, and he let out a scream. As the creature flew away, he could see a muscular right arm with a massive hammer being carried in its mouth.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, a legitimate action scene! Jaune must really be reeling from that surprise attack on him and The Man right now. I wonder which flying monster has red and yellow coloration that could have torn off the arm of someone like The Man? Maybe a creature on par with the Ruler of the Skies? I think it looks like a pinecone when mad...**

 **Also, I know those feelings you guys want expressed, but I think that we can only trust Jaune with some of the more lighter weapons that won't shoot through his foot or blow in his face. I'd say that training with weapons like Crocea Mors- light(ish) swords, not too heavy or unwieldy, can hold with one or two hands- makes longswords, dual blades and swords and shields good for him.  
Speaking of which, this is me trying to make Monster Hunter a bit more real than it is. That, plus the Great Jaggi's moveset and mode of kicking the bucket.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

 _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

The heat of the fire was pressing heavily onto his skin, the smell of soot intermingling with the scent of sweat. The sound of a small black hammer bashing superheated machalite into a sword-like shape reverberated throughout the clearing.

 _CLANG! CLANG! SSHHHH…_

Steam rose as the blade was thrust into the nearby lake. Standing up, allowing the metal to cool, the blacksmith went to a mass of bone and scales. Taking his saw, he started to work on shaping the bone.

"Now, Jaune, what you do here is…"

The Man was giving Jaune a lesson on operating a forge. It had been four months since The Man's right arm was torn off. After looking through the book, Jaune had identified the attacker as the powerful five-star monster, a Seregios. Identifying it by the icon's red and yellow coloration, he was given a specific target as he saw that the icon had a red and white horn on it. As he thought back to that moment, He remembered seeing, among all the red and yellow, there was sky-blue horn on it instead.

Knowing that his current equipment would most likely break during the fight, Jaune needed stronger weapons. Since his master had lost his dominant hand, and his ability to craft was hampered, Jaune had asked The Man to instruct him in the ways of smithing.

The process had been a frustrating one. The only thing he was able to do at first was saw and cut monster bones- any metal he worked with ended up malformed, with little use. Through multiple trials, and almost exhausting their supply of ores, Jaune was finally able to shape a perfect steel sword after three months. That wasn't to say he didn't need anymore tips, especially since some of the other metals were more confusing to work with.

During those three months, Jaune still hunted, and still traveled across the areas and islands of the archipelago. This was made easy thanks to The Man's special semblance, allowing him to store the camp in a separate space. But as training, The Man also started having Jaune travel while wearing a heavy bag. Half a month after he created his first sword, The Man started making Jaune carry the makeshift anvil and tools for forging. Thanks to this, Jaune had noticeably more agile movements, along with more power behind his sword strikes. He was capable of slaying a Great Jaggi in less time than it took on his first try. It hadn't just been Great Jaggi, however. Throughout those four months, Jaune was strictly hunting three star monsters such as Arzuros and Congalala.

Currently, the two of them were within the icy confines of the Pokke area, sitting on top of an icy lake. As Jaune shook off the snow from his shoulders, he looked towards The Man. Despite only being ten years and ten months old, Jaune had grown up. Constantly being tested by nature, and having only the stern but kind The Man with him, he had not much in the way of youthful innocence left. And he was also fit for his age, too. The Man knew that, without a doubt, Jaune would have a highly developed physical body by the time puberty hit.

 _If he makes it there, that is…_

"Jaune!"

Jaune looked towards his master, his friend, and smiled. After all, who wouldn't smile after seeing a fully-cooked meal of delicious popo meat after being subjected to hunger pangs? Licking his lips, he went to sit next to The Man at the edge of the frozen lake. Being handed BBQ'ed popo on a stick, he was about to happily munch on it before the two of them were rudely interrupted from their lunch.

Seeing the shadow first, Jaune dodged to the left, narrowly missing being stuck as a snowman. Looking back behind him, he saw his current opponent: a hare-like creature known as the Lagombi. Known for sliding around on their bellies, this one was currently midair- having jumped from its position, it landed and slammed its claws into the snowy ground where Jaune was.

"Missed again!" Turning its furry head, it turned to see Jaune spitting the stick he had been using for his BBQ out in the Lagombi's direction. Seeing that its target had dodged towards the icy lake, the Lagombi flipped itself onto its belly, and slid towards Jaune. Having felt the full force of Lagombi slide a couple days prior, Jaune skated towards the direction of the forge and away from the omnivorous hare. Skidding by the forge, he picked up a random pair of swords. Spinning around, he saw that it was a pair of blades similar in design to an odd wyvern he slew last week, a lone Yian Kut Ku. Glancing up, he saw the snow rabbit sliding towards him again.

"Might as well test these." Skating towards the sliding rabbit, and by extension the makeshift forge, Jaune left the ice below him. Kicking off the anvil, the extra height let him slash at the Lagombi's broad back. As the bunny spun out, Jaune skated towards it again. As it got up, the hare launched a swipe with one of its paws at Jaune's head. Sliding under, Jaune gave two light scratches on the armored paws. As he slid, he slid right into a snow bank, onto solid ground. Getting away from the frozen lake, where Jaune knew he had a disadvantage at despite his skating skills due to the Lagombi's frozen preference, Jaune moved through the snow. Looking behind him, he saw the Lagombi stop at the snowbank too, and start bounding toward him through the snow. Making his way to a lone tree, he slashed at it with his blades. Within the blades, fire was naturally produced, and along with Jaune aura he cleaved right through the tree, making it fall on top of the rabbit.

Due to the hard skull of the Lagombi's head, all it did was stun the hare. Taking this chance, Jaune leapt onto the Lagombi's back. Lifting one of his blades high, he repeatedly stabbed the rabbit. Spurred on by the burning pain, the Lagombi jumped back onto the frozen lake, trying to dislodge Jaune by slamming its back onto the icy surface. It worked, and Jaune was forced to let go. Swinging both its arms, reminiscent of a golfer, the Lagombi knocked Jaune back into the snow. Taking its limbs, the Lagombi shattered a couple chunks of ice from the frozen lake, throwing them at the downed hunter. Rolling to the side, Jaune rushed back towards the rabbit. Swinging its paw at Jaune, he sidestepped out of the way before spinning like a pinwheel, dealing multiple slashes to the hare. Taking its shoulder, the bunny rammed Jaune before jumping on top of him, pinning Jaune to the ground. Getting up, using its foot to hold Jaune in place, it roared in his face before slamming a paw into Jaune's head. Feeling immense pain, Jaune could barely move his head to the side as another paw slammed into the ice. Taking its other paw, the Lagombi kept on repeatedly banging upon the ice. Bring its face forward to intimidate Jaune again, the hunter focused his aura in his forehead and head-butted it off him. Taking this chance, Jaune went into a wild flurry of blades, singed hair and rabbit blood filling the clearing.

With a mighty swing, the Lagombi successfully threw Jaune off him, and onto the snow. Panting heavily, it drooped its ears downwards. It noticed, however, that there was a gash in one of its ears. Rage building up, it roared in anger towards Jaune. Jumping up, it attempted to smash the hunter, who sidestepped away. Immediately, the Lagombi gathered a large ball of snow in its arms, and threw it at Jaune. Forming another ball, it kept on throwing snowballs at the hunter, each one being dodged by the faster human. As the Lagombi kept throwing more snowballs, Jaune was slowly making his way closer. When he was close enough, the Lagombi stopped throwing snow. Instead it started erratically swinging around its paws, trying to snag Jaune. Retreating backwards, Jaune saw an opening between the strikes. Dashing forwards, he spun like a mixer, slicing up the stomach of the hare. Bending over in pain, the Lagombi suddenly launched itself into the air, trying to flatten Jaune at the cost of its life. T the last second, Jaune turned his body. Moving both arms inwards where the Lagombi's neck was, Jaune moved his blades like a scissor, detaching the top of the Lagombi's head. Getting back his breath after the fight, Jaune returned to his and The Man's lunch, towing the Lagombi's body so The Man can carve it later (while trying to ignore the red trail behind him).

* * *

 **A/N: Just so you know, Jaune will eventually get over his disgust at seeing blood and the like. It will just take a while.**

 **And so we give Jaune a rival of sorts, a Seregios with an oddly coloured light-blue horn. Oh is he going to have fun with this one, especially for when it next shows up...**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on. (I feel as though there should be multiple things wrong with this particular chapter, no idea why)**

 **See ya later!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

"Deep breathing, Jaune, deep breathing…"

The yellow hunter was hiding amongst the treetops within one of the Cheeko area's many islands. This day, he was cloaked within some swampland, his hunt requiring him to do so. The Man had spotted a pack of predators within the bogs, and decided that it was a good task for Jaune to undertake. Today, Jaune was tasked with eliminating a pack of twelve salamander-like wyvernian creatures known as Wroggi. As an added bonus, these twelve were accompanied by two Great Wroggi, like the Great Jaggi or Velocidrome but with the ability to spit out a venom cloud.

"Lucky me, I have these all-purpose antitoxins." Taking out a small blue vial, he shook it a bit. Upon hearing the sounds of a chase getting closer, Jaune put away the vial. Reaching behind him, Jaune drew his weapon- a splendid machalite katana with a blade coated in chilling ice. One of his more prideful works, Jaune named it Rimeblade.

Getting ready, he saw the half the pack appear from his left, chasing a large grey herbivore known as an Aptonoth. From his right side, another half of the pack appeared. Cornered from every angle, the Aptonoth had a right to be afraid. The two alpha males howled, and like a firing squad all of the Wroggi, including the Greats, spat out their venomous mist. The air around the Aptonoth became toxic, and the prey animal quickly succumbed to the fumes. Victorious over their hunt, the Pack raised a collective cry into the air.

That's when he struck. Swiftly, he took out most of the Wroggi, leaving his victims with red-tainted ice crystals sprouting from their chest. Looking at the rest, he saw four Wroggi remaining, along with their bosses. Both of them spat out a poison mist in Jaune's direction. He quickly dodged to the right of the purple cloud, and slashed at one of the Great Wroggi. As it dodged backwards, June sent another slash at it. Its partner, however, jumped onto the flat of the blade, pining it to the ground. This did not last long, as the sheer cold coming forth from the katana gave it freezer burn, prompting it to jump back off.

Not wasting a moment, Jaune spun around, using the momentum to deliver an upwards slash to the Great Wroggi's poison sack. Also trying to take the moment, one of the normal Wroggi tried to hip-slam him. The wrong target was cut, with Rimeblade leaving a fatal gash on the Wroggi's side. Just then, Jaune was hit in front by a tail swipe from one of the Great Wroggi. Flipping backwards, he saw one of the Wroggi preparing to spit out poison. Before it could spit out poison from its open mouth, Jaune had already pierced through the head, freezing the poison inside the body.

A Great Wroggi went for a lunging bite at the boy's back. Noting it rushing up behind him, Jaune backflipped over the boss. While midair, one Wroggi tackled him out of the air. They landed with the Wroggi's on Jaune's chest. Preparing to bite downwards, Jaune quickly robbed it of its leg, and rolled away from the body. As he did, one Great Wroggi slapped its tail across his face. As it spun him around the other alpha hip-checked the boy, the force behind launching him into the air toward the last Wroggi. Twisting around midair, Jaune cut off its head before kicking it at one of the alphas, which was creeping up behind Jaune.

The attack caught it in the head, staggering it for a small bit. Taking his chance, Jaune sent a diagonal slash towards the boss, giving it a non-fatal, but definitely noticeable, gash across the chest. Raising his arm up to give another swing, he rolled to the right when the second boss snapped at his left. He stood up, noticing he was right next to the murky water. As the Great Wroggi went for a second snap, Jaune plunged Rimeblade into the water and then swung it out towards the Great Wroggi. The cold exuded by the blade froze the water quickly, and the droplets that were released by the swing of the sword became sharp daggers of ice. They gave several light cuts to the advancing wyvern, who thrashed around in annoyance.

Rushing forward, he slashed horizontally at the boss. This was intercepted by the other Great Wroggi, who grasped the blade with its jaws. Quickly snapping its head, it threw Jaune and the freezing sword behind it. Landing in a crouched position, Jaune looked back up to see both alphas lunging forward, both of them snapping at Jaune. Jaune countered with a horizontal slash whilst moving left, getting one of them in the chest while the one already slashed at dodged backwards. Rushing back forwards, he managed to cut off the right arm. The other Great Wroggi tried to whack Jaune with its tail, which the yellow hunter countered by slashing at the extended body part, severing part of it.

That's when the alpha who was missing an arm launched a surprise attack on the hunter- spitting out its poison mist. Part of it got in his eyes, blinding him momentarily. As revenge, the Great that had its tail severed hip-checked Jaune, sending him flying into the murky water of the swamp. Cautiously, the two of them crept their way to the water's edge. Peering into the muddy depths, nothing happened for a second. Suddenly, in a fantastic explosion of water, mud, and ice, Jaune burst out, the Rimeblade already partly through a swing. The reflexes of the Great Wroggi allowed them to avoid damage to their necks, but their poison sacks were ripped open by the blade.

The duo shortly screamed in agony, before succumbing to an enraged state. Howling at Jaune, the duo launched themselves into the air. Jaune rolled out of the way, and also dodged their lunging bites that followed. One of them attempted another hip-check; Jaune rushed toward that one, and at the last moment dodged towards the right, hacking at the ankles. It fell to the ground, and thrashed around in pain.

Running towards a tree, Jaune jumped and kicked off it. Using the momentum, he gave a large slash to the back of the alpha that was missing its tail. As it hissed in pain, it turned around, head ready to bite Jaune. He would've countered, were it not for the other Great Wroggi slamming into his back. Quickly, Jaune realigned himself, making it so that the alpha that slammed into him would be bitten by its partner. It worked, confusing the biting Great Wroggi and wounding the other one. Not wasting the chance, Jaune pierced Rimeblade through the exposed neck of the tailless one. Twisting the sword, he removed the head from the neck. Staggering away from the yellow hunter, the remaining Great Wroggi had a stare-down with Jaune. Its muscles tensed, and it charged towards Jaune.

Out of nowhere, a mass of yellow slammed into it, Jaune narrowly moving out of the way. As he looked at the wyvern, he saw that it, in its weakened state, was being munched on by a larger, healthier alpha monster: a leviathan known as a Royal Ludroth. It paid no heed to the hunter, and started to really chow down. Quietly, Jaune sheathed his sword, slinked back towards the trees, drank from one of his vials, and climbed up a tree. The Royal Ludroth noticed the yellow hunter however, and spat a blast of water at the tree. Jumping into another one, he saw how the force of the attack made the tree fall.

Looking towards the leviathan, he saw it dash towards the trees, launching blast after blast of water. As each tree fell, Jaune hopped to the next one, and the next. The Royal Ludroth showed no signs of stopping, chasing Jaune as he sped through the treetops. Eventually, Jaune ran out of trees to hop to. As a last resort, instead of jumping forwards he jumped backwards, towards the leviathan. Successfully managing to mount it, he grabbed on to its soggy, spongy mane the best it could. He tried hard to not let go- the leviathan kept on rolling all over the place, trying to dislodge Jaune. In between each roll, there was a window where Jaune would stab at the mane, greatly discomforting the Ludroth.

After a while, it stopped rolling, but only so that it could launch itself back into its watery domain. As Jaune held his breath, the Ludroth kept bucking underwater, slamming its back onto the lakebed and onto any rocky surface it could find. Through all the struggle, Jaune held on valiantly, hacking at the mane whenever he could. But the speed that it swam underwater made Jaune's hand flail about. As it did, his knife also flailed in random directions. While it did, the tip was glowing and forming a mark. The mark was completed when the leviathan launched itself out of the water, and back onto dry land.

As it landed, an odd green light blinded them both. As it did, a figure stepped out of the light. It looked like a wyvern, with pink scales and frill-esque ears. Looking at the beak, Jaune recognized the creature instantly- it was a Yian Kut Ku. Over its eyes was a mark June saw before- some sort of eastern symbol with the Arc crest over it. This time, however, it was green. Spreading its wings wide, the Yian Kut Ku rose into the sky. As it did, it spewed fireballs at the Royal Ludroth. Jaune jumped off the mane, now tinted orange from blood, as the orbs of searing heat exploded onto it. Cringing, the Royal Ludroth leapt back into the water. Soon after, its head was lifter back up, and it shot water at the flying wyvern. Dodging all the shots, it sent some more back at the leviathan, who shielded itself using the lake, the fireballs dissipating in seconds.

The two went back and forth at each other, neither one giving ground. That's when Jaune, again, pitched in to the fight. Drawing Rimeblade, he leapt into the water. Looking about the murky depths, he spotted the Royal Ludroth. It spotted him too, however. Forgetting about the pink annoyance, it rushed Jaune. Dodging the charge, Jaune stabbed the frozen blade into the spongy mane. In pain, the Royal Ludroth once again leapt out of the water, the Blade and Jaune stuck again on the mane.

It felt a burning sensation across its neck. Twisting its head to see the source, it saw that its mane was slowly freezing over. As it tried to get the offending ice off it, it failed to see a large beak slam into its brain.

As the leviathan collapsed into death, Jaune pulled out his sword from the corpse and eyed the bird-like wyvern. As the two stared at each other, the Yian Kut Ku nuzzled Jaune's side, tickling him, sending the almost eleven years old hunter giggling. As he finished laughing, he smiled at the wyvern, and stroked its ears. They made their way towards the camp, and Jaune thought to himself,

 _Maybe this one'll last?_

* * *

 **A/N:** **Now, has anyone noticed/remembered the four colors seen on the symbols- red, orange, yellow and green? Does that remind anyone of a certain Monster Hunter gameplay mechanic involving melee weapons?**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**

 **(Man, at my 1,999 word limit!)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

It was a cliff edge, just past a viridian wood. It jutted out over the calm, azure waters below. The wind lightly blowing towards the forest, it was a scene of serenity. A lone figure was on the cliff edge. The figure's highly fit body sat cross legged, with only one torn, white, scrap of cloth to protect the figure's modesty. The chest was noticeably, slowly, rising and falling, indicating deep breathing. This was an accurate statement- the figure had its eyes closed in concentration, as if meditating.

Tied to the figure's waist, next to the loincloth, were two small satchels. Inside one was an assortment of objects, spherical in appearance, all no bigger than a tennis ball. Inside the other one was a myriad of vials, the contents mixed. Some were filled with an odd, light-green fluid. Others contained either orange or red liquids.

Facing the figure were five items. One of them, a long sword, was on the ground. It had a simple blue hilt, but the blade itself was a shining, mystical metal. Lying on top of it was a unique shield. It looked and felt rocky, sans the glowing green center. Next to the sword and shield were two blades, both stabbed into the ground, forming an "x". Both were cyan in color, with the handles sporting some sort of white, furry material. Sparks danced across their bone-like, plated edges. The last item was no weapon. Instead, it was the remnants of what once used to be one. A massive stone fist, chipped and aged, half buried in the ground.

The figured opened its blue eyes. At the edge of one, a small teardrop had formed. After more of the salty liquid was added to it, it was finally free to run down the figure's cheek. Passing by flowing golden locks of hair, it reached the end of the chin, and fell off. If one looked closely as it fell to the dirt below, one could see an agglomeration of memories flowing within.

* * *

A tall man and a ten-year old boy were in a small camp among sand dunes. They were sitting on some logs- it appeared the man was attempting to teach the boy in the art of crafting something. As the man kept pointing at his craft, unrecognizable sounds were emitted from the mouth (the owner of these memories had long forgotten what exactly those noises meant). The child had a look of pure concentration on his face, trying to carefully finish making the ball-like object in front of him. However, the boy's arm slipped- this caused the material he was working with to rupture, sending an ear-piercing wave of sound cross the sands.

The child was disheartened- the project he'd been working on ruptured right in his hands. With some reluctantcy, the man patted the boy on the shoulder as a calming gesture. The boy looked to the adult with sad eyes. With a sigh, the man had the two of them start again.

* * *

It was among their first hunts in those primal woods. The boy was meant to take on a pack of pink, furry, _smelly_ , ape-like creatures using sword that was so big one could block using it. Struggling under its massive girth, he had difficulty in swinging it around to cut the primates.

Within the bushes mere meters away was the adult, sitting upon the body of the apes' alpha. Watching the young boy's performance made him release a large anime-style sweat drop. Still, 'twas better than his performance with a both and arrow on the mountain island, and far exceeded his usage of the gun-lance in the desert. He didn't have the problem of overcharging anything explosive with the sword or bow.

* * *

The two were having a nice picnic in the tundra. The man was happily feasting upon the fried animal tongue in his hands. The child, however, was having difficulty cooking his steak, either charring it or being stuck at medium. He remembered what he was trying to do- perfectly cook the slab, otherwise he would go hungry until dinner. As his stomach growled, he let out a pitiful whine.

The man glanced at the large tongue in his hand. Deciding it was too big for him to eat on his own, he split it in half with the boy.

* * *

As a test before his next hunt, preferably against an alpha creature, the man made the child fight against a large pack of creatures (numbers were something the owner mostly forgot). The group was large and varied, ranging from boar-like to reptilian, amphibian to primatish. Witnessing the performance of his pupil, the man had a smile ghost his face. The boy was dispatching swathes of the group with not much difficulty, effectively employing the twin weapons held in each hand.

He noted how far his pupil had gone. He was far improved in the crafting of medicinal and combat necessities- he wasn't blowing them in their faces as often, nor did he create many foul smelling concoctions anymore. This was, of course, a bit pale compared to his increase in battle skills. Dodging a body that had been launched his way, he was lightly grinning now. Definitely pale in comparison.

* * *

The man was shocked. He honestly did not expect all the care he was being given to treat his severed appendage. He thought the boy viewed them as student and teacher. Now, as the boy worked hard to create a hearty meal while prepping the bandages, the man understood. Lying on his log, he understood- they both had grown fond of each other. He felt something with the child he hadn't felt since his old leader died- he felt friendship.

* * *

At first, he was annoyed at his companion. The bridge between the three and four star monsters couldn't have been too big, right? If he could take on what was technically three at once, then he should be able to take on a four-star by this point. And besides, he had his new companion, his new pet, to help him out. Those had to count for something, right?

The fact that he was lying on his log, wrapped in bandages, stated otherwise. He and the other creature were soundly beaten by their supposed prey, a purple leviathan with a massive mouth and a dangling lure in front of its face. The duo severely underestimated the creature- it had taken mere seconds for the two of them to be fading into unconsciousness. The two weren't even able to TRY and attack.

What was worse, however, was the disappointed look and scolding he received for trying something far from his reach. As the larger adult tended to his wounds, tears started to stream from the child's eyes. With almost no hesitation, the adult wrapped his arms around the child, patting his back, and comforting him. The child, for a small split second, held the man not as a mentor but as a father-figure instead.

* * *

It was supposed to have been a simple enough hunt. They would fight against the strange wyvern near the cliffs of Kotoko, they would bring it back to camp, and they would carve it, the child doing so reluctantly. So, what went wrong?

What happened was something neither of them really prepared for- the return of a monster. A monster that stole one of the man's arms.

It attacked them before they could hunt. Powerful arms and claws ripped at their rubbery target, before the red and gold wyvern turned their attention to them. Putting the child behind cover, the man took out a massive hammer. Sparks flew as the man did battle with the creature- bestial claws slashing at broad chests, and the sound of a powerful mallet hitting flesh sounded through the air. The boy sat mesmerized behind his cover, watching his master and father figure fight with the wyvern.

The hunter managed to scar the eye of the beastie, and the boy cheered for his master's sake. Then, it turned to the child's master, eyes burning with fury. Its wings spread apart, and with a mighty flap it sent itself hurtling into the sky. Its head and neck puffed up- both the man and the child knew that it would launch its blade-like scales at them. As it climbed higher and higher, it spotted a tuft of blond hair- it had flow high enough to bypass the child's cover.

With a mighty screech, it swung its head forth, flinging golden darts at the young child. Time slowly passed by for the boy- his end was likely to be met here. At least, it should have been, had the adult not sacrificed his life for the child. He felt himself be pushed, and a moment later he saw himself staring at a man with sharp scales embedded into his bleeding back.

Taking this moment to share last words with the lad, the man got back up. Looking toward the wyvern, he saw it landing close by the cliff edge. Thinking how to end this quickly, the man dropped his hammer to the ground. He let his body glow a dull gold color, before stampeding towards the beast. His shoulder leading the way, he threw both of them over the cliffs.

He cried tears of sadness over that. That man, who he had been as close as he was with his real dad, was gone. One of his closest companions had saved his life at the cost of their own. Falling to his knees, all he did was wail in sadness.

A shadow flew over him. Looking up, his wails of sadness turned to cries of anger. That blasted monster was still alive! As he saw it leave, he stood there, watching. He was too far away now, and not strong enough to take vengeance. All he could do now was drag the hammer to the cliff. Embedding it there, he left it as a grave.

* * *

He was heading back now, his recollection of memories for today having been finished. He picked up his weapons- the two blades, the sword and shield. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he set off from his master's grave. Eyes ablaze with his spirit, and a white glow surrounding him, he set off to find the wyvern.

He would bury this six year old hatchet- and he would do it in the Seregios's chest.

* * *

 **A/N: ... screw it, if even my friends who sneak their 3DS's to school to hunt a Deviljho can't get it, then I guess I give up. I'll ask again after Jaune meets up with the Seregios again, and if not then sometime during Beacon.**

 **On another note, you guys saw this coming, The Man was bound to die. I did say that six years was the amount of time he spent truly alone. This ain't like Arrow. However, like Arrow, there are going to be frequent flashbacks, except these flashbacks will be occurring as he travels to the Seregios's nest. These will fill in the six-year gap between this and the last chapter, along with sometimes giving more insight into Jaune and The Man's "father & son"-esque relationship. Oh, and probably will tell what happens to that particular Kut-Ku**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Passing by his camp, the hunter stopped for a moment. He turned around, and looked over at a small forge. His gaze fell upon rows and rows of blades and shields behind it, each and every one of them hung up on the trees of the clearing. He found himself staring at one particular long sword. Its sheath and handle appeared to be made of wood, and the blunt side of the single-edged blade was coloured red and blue. His mind drifted back, to his first hunt against a four-star level creature…

* * *

 **5 years, 11 months ago**

He was wary. Despite his anger at what happened last month, he still remembered the event with the Gobul. Even so, for the sake of his master he would have to grow stronger. But he couldn't risk some of the higher-ranked monsters. Instead, he would start with those monsters at the threshold of three and four star, as if hunting them were a graduation requirement.

Currently, he was on the trail of one- a massive amphibian known as a Tetsucabra. Due to their aquatic nature, he was currently walking along a frozen seaway. As he followed its tracks, visible even on the ice, he stopped. The tacks ended here. Crouching, he took feel of the prints, noting how deeper they were compared to the previous ones. It was as if the amphibian leapt somewhere, like the hole in the ice over-

The hunter found himself rolling to the left, just as a large form burst from the water and onto where he was. Reaching round his back, he took out a pair of rapiers- both had blue and gold hilts, one having a white and purple blade and the other having a light red edge. Holding both out in front of him, he sized up his quarry.

Like on its icon, its scales were a combination of vibrant red and blue, with a cream underbelly. Its front legs were big, but its back legs were massive. As the creature turned to face him, he could see its claim to fame- giant tusks, jutting out from its jaw. A jaw that was currently emitting a terrible roar, loud and painful. As the hunter took a moment to protect his ears, the toad struck.

Charging at the hunter, the amphibian missed once more, ramming its body into an icy wall, with its tusks stuck inside. Using the opening provided, the hunter scaled his way up another cliff face. Judging he was high enough, he pushed himself off, flying towards the toad. As he did, he spun around quickly, turning himself into a buzzsaw. He was slightly off his mark, sailing above the toad's back, but the blades were able to cut into it, every hit managing to send a burst of water splashing.

Finishing his descent, the hunter spun around on the ice as he landed, facing the amphibian. As it pulled out its tusks, it also pulled out a large block of ice. It spun itself around, looking for the hunter. Spotting his golden locks, the creature tensed its powerful leg muscles. With great force, it leapt high into the air, willing its body to land on the human. Instead of waiting there, he allowed himself a temporary dip inside the icy waters. This was a good decision, as the mass of both the Tetsucabra and the ice block in its mouth landing caused a small tremor. Feeling the vibrations through the chilling brine, the hunter reacted by shooting himself out of the water. The jump, infused with Aura, launched him at the toad again, spinning his blades.

The toad wouldn't want that, however- with its grand jaws, it smashed the ice block in its mouth, the shards piercing into parts of the hunter's skin. It also forced him back in the air a little, making him land on the edge of the water. Feeling some more tremors, the hunter looked to see the amphibian bounding towards him. He dodged to the right, just as the toad's heavy body splashed into the water.

Looking back, he saw the head of the amphibian rise above the water, along with a glob of mucus flying towards him. He quickly sidestepped it, noting how it quickly froze onto the ice it landed on. More globs followed, each shot forcing the hunter slowly back. He found himself back onto the snowy ground, and once that happened the amphibian disappeared back under the surface of the water. The hunter crept forward, watching for any surprise. Taking a tentative step onto the ice, the frozen water under him erupted, sending him back onto the snow.

It hit him hard, a bruise forming on his back alongside the fractals embedded in his skin. Opening his eyes, he saw a cream-coloured meteor falling on top of him. Scrambling to get out of the snow, it was too late- the giant toad landed on top of him. Aside from the sound of impact, two others were heard- a popping noise, and a blade piercing into flesh.

Roaring in pain, the amphibian rolled over. As it thrashed around, a small line of blood and water trailing from its stomach. A single rapier was stuck inside its abdomen. Shakily, the hunter climbed out of the hole in the snow. He was hurting all over, but thanks to Aura, It wasn't too severe. Just multiple bruises, plus the shards already inside him.

He rushed to get his blade back. Putting Aura into his legs, he soared into the air, landing on top of the stomach. Quickly removing his sword, he jumped onto an ice wall as the Tetsucabra rolled over. He kicked off of the ice wall, landing on the creature's back. Stabbing a rapier in to stabilize himself, the hunter repeatedly stabbed at the beast's hide, each thrust punctuated by drops of water. Meanwhile, it was leaping about wildly, trying to dislodge the pest on its back. It succeeded, by slamming its back onto the sheet of ice where the hunter was before.

The impact forced the hunter into the wall, where he spat out a small globule. Turning around to face the hunter, the Tetsucabra roared in his face. It backed up, before rushing forward towards the shelf. By this point, he was able to remove most of his body from the wall. As the sharp tip of the Tetsucabra's tusk came nearer, the hunter was able to remove himself completely from the wall, while the toad got itself stuck once again. Stabbing one of the rapiers into the wall to stop his small descent, he hoisted himself back up into the air next to the tusk. With both blades, he managed to break off the right tusk, accompanied by a burst of water.

His small victory was short-lived, as the monster frog tore off a chunk of the ice wall and slammed it into the hunter. As he did, he crunched the thick block, doing even more damage. The hunter landed upon one of the ice floes, spitting out globules of blood as he did so. From a pouch on his waist, the hunter took a small ration. Quickly, he downed it, while the Tetsucabra sprung into the air for another body slam. Feeling it help his Aura increase his stamina, he quickly hopped onto an adjacent floe, just as the amphibian landed on, and broke apart, the one he was previously on.

Hopping across the floes, he made his way back to the snowy shore. Readying his weapons, he saw the massive frog leap onto land. It turned its head to see the hunter there, to its side. Lifting up one half of its body, it brought it down very quickly, rushing to the side. The hunter lurched forward, missing the rush. Spinning around to face the amphibian, he lashed out with both blades, sending a blast of water through the other tusk, breaking it off.

Staggering from the blow, the hunter took this chance. Pouring his energy into his blades, he sent forth a flurry of attacks. Before he could deal the last hit, a downward slash using both swords, the toad jammed his bottom jaw into the hunter. He soared into the air for a moment, before crashing back onto the snowy field a few metres away. They both stood where they were, the toad from exhaustion and pain and the human from the damage inflicted onto him.

The Tetsucabra turned around, and started to limp away from the field. However, the hunter shakily stood back up. Spitting out some blood, he forced himself to run towards the retreating beast. When he was close enough, the hunter pulled out a small spherical object, and lobbed it at the creature. It found its way in front of its face, before the object ruptured, bathing the snow lands in bright white.

As the amphibian stood there, disoriented, the hunter leapt onto its hip, blades once again stabbed in. The creature, too far stunned, couldn't feel the hunter as he climbed up its side and onto its back. Nor could it feel the footsteps on its back. However, it could feel his body's weight on top of its head. With a loud yell, he plunged the twin rapiers into the toad's eyes. Before it could start to writhe in pain, he let a burst of Aura resonate within them, sending a surge of water into the brain. The Tetsucabra collapsed onto its side, the hunter with him. As he lay down in the snow, next to the far larger body next to him, he decided to carve him later. He was too exhausted and pained for that right now.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, there appears to be some sort of hierarchy, even among monsters of the same "level". That's kind of how I place them, plus size and some other stuff (courtesy of the: ecology pages of mh wiki; kiranico). Before I forget, the pair used here are the Sworn Rapiers.**

 **Also, I want to fill the up parts of the six years now, and do the rest later. Count on seven, eight more battle chapters, one of them including the Seregios, before we see Oobleck and Port again.**

 **Final note, there will be longer chapters... when we reach volume one. Apologies, it will take a long while.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

He continued to reminisce about times past as he stared at the wall of weapons. At the very far left hung a shining edge. It had a black and blue hilt, and a yellow guard shaped like a curved claw. Its double-edged, blue and white blade crackled with thunder. It was a complex piece of work, a weapon the hunter has kept for the longest. It was the first blade he ever crafted successfully. Even through the six years, even through all the additions he's made, he can still remember the day he crafted that once simple iron katana…

* * *

 **Six Years, Three Months ago**

A clattering noise could be heard as the misshapen blade, burnt black, hit the sand.

He had failed. Once again, he had failed in forging a simple weapon. It was simple enough by word- cutting, heating, and hammering a piece of iron into the shape wanted. But by action, it not as simple. How long its heated, how much force there is behind the hammer- these are some of the things that can make or break a weapon. Currently, all he was doing was breaking.

Quenching the heat of the forge, the child sat himself down on a small stone. He started to whine, something the man had noticed. Getting up from the log that was his makeshift bed, the adult walked over to the hunter-to-be. He sat down on the stump, next to the pouting child. He laid his hand on the smaller one's shoulder. As he stared up at the older man, eyes with sadness, the man smiled down on him. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Do you know, Jaune? There's one common trait shared by all living things, something unavoidable and certain. As definite as life and death. Do you know what it is, child?" The child shook his head. "We all have trials to face. Every living being has a hurdle to jump over, a wall they have to go through. Sometimes, it' s easy enough to face. Other times, we're stuck for a while. But life has to keep moving on. We have to get through our trials somehow. We have to try."

"What if I don't want to try?"

"Then you can't go on. You'll be stuck in a rut, living a life of guilt knowing you gave up trying. You'll wander aimlessly when dead, a sad shell of a person. The only way to escape this fate is determination. By trying. When faced with a wall, go around, above, under it, through it, even. When faced with a gorge, vault across or build a bridge. No matter how, one has to keep trying. For example, let's use yourself when you started hunting. Do you remember the Blue Seltas? How it would always elude you, sending you back here in pain? How many times have you been sent packing? Did you give up on it?

Forging is like hunting. But forging a sword is easier than beheading a Yian-Kut-Ku. And it's also easier to pick up the pieces and keep trying. So, how about it, Jaune?"

He had forgotten the meaning behind those words, or any spoken word for that matter.

But he remembered the determination in his young eyes. Watching himself, he saw the child standing up, and sitting back down at the forge. He started the flames, and began to cut the iron.

The child was determined in his work. It was almost akin to hunting and gathering the materials used in the first place. A few sweat-filled rags surrounded him, as was a half-eaten Apceros leg. He hadn't left the forge since the morning- no, not when he was still making ruined swords. A smile pile of scrap had formed behind him. Soon, it became a small mound.

He paid no heed to the failed weapons. He continued on his work, not wanting to stop. The sun rose to midday, then fell back down to dusk. The clanging of the hammer continued into the early evening, before it stopped once more. His tongs were shaking, moving slowly. The piece of metal he was holding held no black marks, no dents. It was as curved as he wanted it be, the blade as slim as he willed it to. A shaky smile started to cross his face. Taking great care to place it somewhere to cool, he let go of the tongs. He raised both arms into the air, and jumped high into the evening sky. He let loose a happy cry of victory- the man held a slight grin.

* * *

He had a sad smile on his face, both at recalling his master and his loss of understanding speech. Moving his eyes across the other weapons, as if this would be the last time he viewed them, they fell upon twin blades in the shape of a Kut-Ku. Looking at them stirred up another memory, something that opened his eyes to something inevitable.

* * *

 **Six Years, One Week Ago**

He had some worry in his eye. This one certainly lasted longer than the others, but it was still worrisome. It had taken three days, but the crest still hasn't changed. The hunter stared at the Kut-Ku next to him. The two of them were partnered now, hunting a deceitful wyvern called Gypceros within the sunken hollows of the Cheeko area.

He stared at his partner, and wondered to himself- how long? How long would it be until it went back to its primal urges? He had hoped that it would never change, that it was locked to green. While he was looking at it, it turned its head to look back at him.

Despite how odd it looked, it was still cute. Even more so now, when it was nuzzling him in the stomach. He recalled some of their hunts together. It was only a few weeks since he "tamed" it, but the Kut-Ku grew on him. Like a pet. As they were walking along, they came across a crystal cave. He turned around to look the Kut-Ku in the eye. He made a sign, and the Kut-Ku raised both of its ears upwards. While the hunter would mine, the Kut-Ku would stand guard against any and all monster threats.

Taking out a pickaxe, the hunter found a large crack in the wall, filled with glittering gemstones. Raising the tool, he brought it down on the stones. As he continued to mine, he saw the Kut-Ku's reflection in the stones suddenly perk up. Stopping his mining for a bit, he looked around, looking for potential threats. Looking above him, he saw a purple wyvern with an odd, rubbery tail, a weirdly shaped beak, and a crest that was starting to flash brightly-

Tearing his eyes away from the creature, the hunter avoided the initial flash attack. Looking at the Yian Kut-Ku next to him, he saw that it was affected by the flash. To his shock, as he stared at the crest on its face, the vibrant green was slowly turning into a dull yellow color. He didn't have time to waste, however, as the Gypceros that had snuck up on them started to attack. Taking out a pair of weapons that resembled gloves with drills at the end, he charged.

-M-MONSUM-M-

As the child hunter dodged to the left from its poison, he suddenly had to dodge right from an erratically spewed fireball. Glancing towards his supposed partner, he saw that its crest suddenly turned a dull orange, with signs of cracking, and it was moving around erratically. This threw both him and the Gypceros off, with both of them staring at the Kut-Ku, one in confusion and one in dread.

The crest turned red, with even more cracks appearing. It was even more chaotic, almost enraged now. Slowly but surely, the crest began to crack. As it did, hints of blue began to form on the Kut-Ku's wings. The body started to become more reddish, with small tints appearing on the edge of its fan-like ears. More studs and nodes began to grow on its scales, and it slightly thickened.

When the crest completely broke, the bird wyvern finished its transformation. Screeching loudly, it launched a fireball at the stunned Gypceros. It dodged the orb, which turned into a flaming wall upon impact with the ground. The hunter didn't need to fight it to realize that it was far too strong for him to handle at this rate. Keeping eye on it as it aggressively assaulted the Gypceros, he slinked away from the sunken hollow.

* * *

Now, he was more experienced in handling those that he "tamed". A simple hit to the head when the crests turn orange makes them snap out of it, without turning so… hardcore. But still, all of them were his only legitimate companions in this cruel and harsh archipelago. It was saddening for him, knowing that none of them were permanent. As he thought about this fact, he felt as alone as he did when his friend died against the Seregios. Sadness turned to anger- what was he doing just standing here, reminiscing about old memories? Tearing his eyes away from his collection, he walked away from the forge. Grabbing a piece of meat, slowly roasting on a stick over a fire, he marched off to the Val Habar region.

It will end today. And the Seregios won't be the one to survive.

* * *

 **A/N: That's what you think, Jaune. You still have three more chapters to go of reminiscing about what you think are useless at this moment! Going along with that train of thought, I apologize to those who like the battle chapters. I let a friend of mine read it the other day, and she told me I needed some character development. As a compromise, only three fighting-filled chapters more, at least until Beacon. So I present to you this mediocre chapter, with minor character development through interaction. *sigh* I need work on heart-to-heart scenes...  
**

 **In case anyone doesn't get why he wouldn't understand speech, please note that he was completely alone for six years. He would remember the words, sure, but he wouldn't understand them.**

 **Weapons seen today were the Usurper's Boltslicer, Kut-Ku Pair+, and Whirlitwists.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Scars.

He had several of them, crossing over his body. They weren't much in number, but they were throbbing. They did so, every once in a while. Each one was a different stimulus, each from different fights he's had over the years. The most careless mistakes he's made, from some of the more dangerous monsters he's ever faced.

An example of stimulus: sailfish-like creatures swimming through the sands of the Val Habar region. Looking at those Delex swimming through the dunes made a scar on his left shoulder start to ache. It was medium sized, made of several different bite marks. The cuts looked jagged, and were in a circular pattern, almost like a bite mark.

Looking towards the sails of the piscine wyverns, he remembered one of the few creatures that actually gave him a scar…

* * *

 **Four Years, 9 Months Ago**

He put his eyes up to shield him from the sun. Here he was, amongst one of the smaller islands in Val Habar. As usual for him, he was going on another hunt to improve himself, so that he doesn't outright die against the dangerous Seregios.

He scratched the side of his head with his hand, and brushed it through his mane of hair. Throughout the years, his blonde hair really grew out. The golden locks were now down to the middle of his back, which was not necessarily a good thing. Imagine, a monster managing to grab him because his hair was too long.

As if Fate wanted to mess with him, a monster swimming through the sand ambushed him from behind. He would've been able to cleanly dodge the surprise from behind, were it not for his hair being caught in its teeth. As such, he was currently being dragged by the back of his hand through the sands.

Reaching his hand around, he managed to grab a fell of what was dragging him- it had a large fin, with a hide similar to those of the Sharqs that frequent the sea. Moving his hand around, he got ahold of what he was looking for- the handle to his unique weapon. With some force, he managed to pull it out, also cutting off half his mane in the process.

Tumbling across the sands, he managed to end up kneeling on the sandy ground, his long sword held out towards the left. Its appearance was odd- the handle had something akin to a trigger on it, and the blade was shaped like a triangle. Surrounding the blade was a small chain, with serrated teeth on it. Pushing the trigger, and flowing minuscule amounts of aura through it, the chain started to rotate rapidly.

While the sounds of rotating blades filled the air, other sounds followed. Namely, the sound of sand being blown high into the air as a large monster appeared. It was an amphibian-esque creature, with the body of a Sharq and the legs of toads. Its sandy, tiger-striped hide basked in the sun. Rearing its head back, it let out an ear-splitting roar.

In response to this, the hunter just smiled. A four star like this Tigerstripe Zamtrios was a great challenge.

It rushed at him first. Mouth gaping wide, it charged toward the hunter, mouth snapping all the way. Rolling out of the way, the hunter ducked under a swipe from its flat, axe-like tail. Springing up, he swung his blade long ways across the appendage. But like the others he hunted over the past six months, it just gave it a light scratch- and considering the crackling sparks, some slight tingling.

Turning around, it jumped at him, mouth open. Dodging the strike, he saw it disappear below the sand. His sword whirring, he waited patiently for signs of movement. The sound of sand shifting behind him, he brought his blade to block the bite. It had the advantage in the desert, however, and was easily pushing the hunter back.

Trusting his instincts, he brought his head closer to its snout… and bit. Hard. It was enough to make the monster shake his head in pain, sending hunter and blade across the sand. Scrambling for his sword, he picked it up, and stood in time to see it inflate itself like a balloon. Not thinking, he rushed towards it.

It lifted its head, and looked as if it were cackling. Moving its upper body around, it squeezed parts of its rotund belly. With this, it launched several globs of fluid into the air, each one aimed toward the hunter. Weaving his way through the rain, he reached the overinflated amphibian.

The sword was brought up behind his head. With one swift, wild motion, he brought it across the belly. Well, he would have had it not bounded into the air. Remembering the last time he fought a similar beast, and the last few times before that, he moved away from its falling form.

When it landed, he slashed wildly across its head, electricity crackling with each strike. The attacks had not much power behind them, but rather were a fast flurry, not much skill behind. Because of this, it was easy for the desert sharq to open its maw and shout a jet of water, launching him backwards. He landed on his back, and then it was on top of him. It attempted to bite him, while his blade was holding it back.

Pulling the trigger, and allowing his aura to flow through, the teeth cut into its flesh, sending out sparks and some blood. This sent the amphibian reeling backwards, allowing the hunter to get out. It wasn't long before the hunter recklessly charged at the amphibian again, sword whirring rapidly. He was stopped short by it slightly bloating up, before launching a barrage of fluid.

He managed to dodge most of it, but a single glob managed to nail him in the head. Feeling some of the fluid go into his mouth and nose, he started losing feeling in his arms and legs. He dropped his sword, and slowly he dropped to the ground too. As he lay there twitching on the ground, the land sharq crawled its way over to him. Opening its mouth wide, it bit harshly into his shoulder.

The attack managed to get past his aura, evidenced by the bleeding coming from his shoulder. The amount of pain was enough to make the hunter scream. It was also enough to break him free from his paralysis. Feeling that trying to move his arm out was not a good idea, he repeatedly bashed it in the head with his other arm, attempting to get it to remove its mouth on its own. It wouldn't budge, though, and its teeth were starting to get dangerously close. Remembering his carving knife, he whipped it out, and threw it at its eye.

This trick managed to work, throwing the monster off him. Quickly, he got up and grabbed his sword with his right hand, left arm too pained to help support it, and flowed aura through it. Turning around he faced his opponent, sporting a trail of blood from its right eye. The two of them locked eyes. From the corner of his vision, the hunter started seeing hints of red- his breath started coming out as pants, and while he didn't notice it the land sharq was panting out particles of sand.

He does not remember clearly what happened next, the memories that surface are a little blurry. He does recall cutting off most of its dorsal fin, along with part of its tail. He also vaguely remembers being crushed by its bloated form, and being rammed into by a great force.

The next thing he remembers is the both of them appearing tired and ragged, the amphibian with several gashes and the hunter with large bruises. Letting loose a tired roar, the desert sharq completely puffed itself up. It spun like a ball, and steamrolled to where the hunter was. He sidestepped the charge, and hit with a fading slash as it passed by. As soon as it passed him, it bounced into the air, with some slight bleeding all the way. With the jump, the amphibian just managed to clip the hunter in his golden mane just as the hunter cut it with a rising slash.

When it landed on the ground, it bounced itself right into the air, twisting itself while doing so. When it landed back onto the ground, it launched a large burst of water, aimed at where the hunter was standing. After it finished its burst, the Tigerstripe Zamtrios panted heavily, looking at its surroundings warily. From its side came the flash of steel, and then darkness.

Stumbling in pain from the loss of its eye, it tripped over and landed on its side. The last thing it heard was the sound of something rotating rapidly. The last two things it felt was something tearing into its chest- and the feeling of electric shocks stopping its heart.

Standing opposite to the body, the hunter swigged a vial of green liquid. Slowly, he could feel the pain receding from his left arm, and he could feel it healing. Waiting a few more seconds, he then took out his carving knife from the eye. He then set about carving the body.

* * *

He stopped walking. Just ahead from him lay a large amount of rocky outcroppings among the dunes. He unsheathed his dual blades, and affixed his glowing green shield onto his arm. In the light of the sun, the broad sword on his back glistened a white light. Allowing the throbbing from his scars to subside, he ventured forth into his enemy's lair.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Well, here's another fighting chapter. However, Jaune's a bit different here than in the last few fights. I wonder what it is?** **Heads up, next time will be a chapter focused more on his character. It will be the last one on his character before he gets off the island in five chpters. Hold on tight.**

 **Weapons featured today are: Chainslaughter, Usurper's Fulgur, and the shield portion of the Dios Edge sword and shield.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Marching through the dunes, the hunter was dead set on mounting the Seregios's head on a tree. He was so focused on his impending fight that he almost didn't notice a small group of baby Cephalos cavorting in the sand. As he watched their innocent naiveté, he couldn't help but think back to when he was like that, compared to what he was like now.

* * *

 **Seven years, Four Months Ago**

Here he was, in a lush green field, blue skies overhead with several emerald trees reaching toward them. The weather was calm and cool as the sun shined down, perfect for small group of children to play in the sun.

One of them was blond, with blue hair. He was the shortest one amongst his peers, and wore simple beige shorts and a white tank top. His black and white sneakers were kicking around a black and white ball, sending them to the other kids in his age group. He passed it to an older kid that looked similar to him, but with red eyes instead. This one shot it towards a large, gray boulder. However, a boy in front of it, with magenta hair and eyes wearing an ivy green tee, hit it with his head, sending it back.

The small blue eyed child from earlier stopped it with his chest, dropping the ball to the ground. He proceeded to run with the ball, bringing it ever closer to that large boulder in front of him. Just as he was about to kick the ball, he noticed something in the way. It was a small line of black ants, mindlessly foraging for food. Quickly, he stomped the ball at an angle, sending it up into the air. Before he could get at it, a young girl with turquoise eyes and orange hair kicked at it, sending it away from him.

He was brought underneath a tree later on, and was being softly interrogated by the boy with blond hair and red eyes. He pointed over to a small line of ants climbing down the tree, leaves in their mouths, with a slightly teary face. The older child gave a grin to the younger one, and lightly ruffled his head. He smiled brilliantly, pearly white teeth showing off, and made a gesture with his hand- it was a closed fist, with the thumb pointing up. The younger one, stunned for a bit, then copied the older child.

* * *

 **Seven Years Ago**

What was he expected to do here?

Early in the morning, his new benefactor woke him up, gave him his ancestral blade, and took the both of into the woods for a walk. Whilst they were walking, they came across a herd of grey, reptilian herbivores. The older man took out the large hammer from his back. Walking towards one of the larger creatures, he smashed his hammer into its leg. The child couldn't bear to watch the scene, but he was subjected to hearing the other three limbs break too.

Now, here he was, in front of an animal in pain with his benefactor watching him like a hawk. Turning his wide, blue eyes to the benefactor, he questioned what he should do here. The answer was one he dreaded hearing:

"Slay it." At first, in disbelief, he questioned the man some more. When it was confirmed that he was supposed to do it, he cried back in outrage. How could he kill another creature like this? "You killed several when you were being chased at the cliffs, weren't you?"

"Self-defense!"

"Same as this. You're defending yourself from hunger." No matter how hard he pleaded, it was to no avail. Plus, he was too hungry to continue on. Being forced by both his body and his master to kill the beast so he can carve its meat, he made the tough decision. Without looking he forced his arm to move. His sword struck at the back of the brain, killing it instantly. He held back some tears from his eyes.

He was then presented with a knife, courtesy of his master. He looked at him quizzically.

"It's for you to carve the meat." He gave him another look of disbelief, before promptly throwing up.

* * *

 **Six Years, Eleven Weeks Ago**

It happened while he was hunting a blue, bear-like pelagus called an Arzuros.

Blocking a swipe from its armored claws using an ornate, brightly feathered shield, he lashed out at it using a vibrant, flaming tomahawk. With its great paws, the beast deflected it, and actually managed to slash the hunter across the chest. While his aura took the brunt of it, the attack still managed to get through, giving him what would become his first scar across the chest.

Realizing he let his guard down, the hunter countered back with a bash to its armor plated head. Straight from the bash, he swiped his axe across its eye. As it went into a frenzy from the pain it took, the hunter let loose a flurry of sword swings at the bear. It fell over backwards, a mess of red lines visible at its chest.

He didn't want to look at what he just did all over the chest of that bear. No, instead he closed his eyes, his head facing the ground. Putting his sword and shield in a stance, he mentally thanked the creature for allowing him to grow stronger, and for allowing him to use its body for parts. He finished it off with a request that its soul may rest easy, before he carried the body with him back to base camp.

* * *

 **Five Years, Five Months Ago**

Well, he was starting to get pissed at this one.

He moved himself away from another charge. Currently, he was in the Val Habar region, tackling a brutish wyvern called a Barroth. Once again, the hard ridge at the top of its head was charging straight at him. Moving to the side, he slashed at its body using a pole arm-like weapon made from Royal Ludroth parts.

The water within it exploded onto its body, which was infested with mud, washing it off. After several more swipes, the body was completely free of mud. Raging from all of the scratch marks upon its hide, along with the fact that all of its mud was washed away, the beast snapped at the hunter, swung its thick tail, and stomped around to try and hit him, all the while being pelted with slashes.

Eventually, fatigue won over it. It was forced to flee the area; the hunter would not have any of that. Case in point, the large barrel bombs placed at the only entrance to the area they were in. As the wyvern limped near them, the hunter threw a small grenade, an insect stomach filled with gunpowder and sporting a fuse lit with flint stones. As it made contact with the bombs, the grenade exploded, also setting off the bombs and mortally wounding the Barroth. Taking his weapon, the hunter cut it vertically across the chin, neck and chest, a wound deep enough to reach the heart. He didn't stop there- he cut off its head too.

* * *

 **Two years, Three Weeks Ago**

Here he was, squaring off against a false wyvern with an orange hide and blue stripes. He was lightly smiling- he was bored, and he needed something to hunt today. Good for him, as he didn't fulfill the "one large monster per day" quota for today.

Waving around his insectoid dual blades, he created the familiar Arc and eastern crest in the air. Activating it, he waited to see what sort of ally he would have for this match. He was not disappointed when a massive blue woolly mammoth like creature appeared.

The two parties clashed, with the hunter taking some odd joy out of this. As the battle raged on, both sides took several hard hits. The mammoth of a creature was eventually forced off of a cliff, leaving the hunter to fight the weakened monster alone. Five star beasts are never easy to fight, even when weakened- this one was no such exception. It ended soon enough, however, after he casually stabbed both blades through the neck- then the roof of the mouth- then the heart. Then, slashing outward from inward, both rippers bisected it.

As he stood in the field, he raised both swords above his head in an X fashion and let loose a roar of victory. As both him and the body landed on the soft snow of the Pokke area, the hunter couldn't suppress his grin.

* * *

Neither could he now, for he was about to take the life of one particular monster he's been wanting to carve up for years. He could see it from here, that golden hide and azure horn recognizable anywhere. And if he could see it, it could also see him. He charged forward, and an onslaught of some thousand scaly projectiles where sent to meet him halfway there.

* * *

 **A/N: Apologies for the slight delay.**

 **Like I said, a mediocre chapter based on character. It addresses something I hope you guys all saw as you read through previous chapters: Jaune's starting to become more savage, more wild, like Lord of the Flies but across a longer, more stretched out timetable. And less sadistic. But imagine if it was a longer wait time, like 8 years or more. He would definitely become a sadistic ******.**

 **Even though he's more primal and a dumbed down, if a Yian Garuga can avoid pitfalls and the Raths refuse to eat the (drugged) meat I so kindly set down for them, then a he should still be able to use bombs.**

 **Weapons mentioned: Insectirippers, Bone Tomahawk+, Drowning Shaft**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

It was a flurry of sparks flying around.

With great dexterity, the hunter was able to deflect the large number of projectiles launched at him. With a flick of his wrists, his twin blades slapped the scales away. A snap of his arm, and a shield was there to protect him. He even used the heirloom strapped to his back, spinning around at the right moments.

The onslaught stopped after a bit. Then, he saw a rush of red and gold flying by before landing in front of the hunter. As it descended, he caught a glimpse of it- a blue streak, right on the Seregios's head. A flux of memories started to flow in his mind right now- slowly, his eyes started to see nothing but red. He started panting, his hands tightening around his dual swords.

Puffing itself up, the bladed wyvern gave out a mighty roar. The hunter, though, was too enraged to care. His dual blades sparked as he swung them at the monster's chest. It didn't reach, however, as the monster's wing claws deflected the swing. Nevertheless, the hunter kept on swinging, exchanging swipe for swipe with the beast.

So engrossed was he in his angry fervor, he didn't notice the extended, spiked wing slam into him from the left as he clashed with the right. He cared little for the golden barbs digging into him, scraping his Aura away, and not at all for the wing he was trying to push back in a show of strength. Instead, he slashed his blades against its wing. As the lightning danced across its hide, the Seregios screeched; the stronger wyvern swung its wing forth, making the hunter fly away.

As he spun in the air, the blade bird launched a volley of scales in the area he was supposed to land in. As the two trajectories crossed paths, the hunter quickly twisted like a tornado, deflecting most of the scales. Still, there were two puncture wounds on his shoulder blades, and a long gash on his left arm- areas where he neglected aura usage. Ignoring the pain, the hunter recklessly charged at the avian wyvern, avoiding or blocking each projectile in his way.

Reaching his destination, he jumped onto an oncoming wing attack. Bounding off the extended appendage towards its head, he spiraled in the air, adding momentum to his right arm before slamming it into the red and gold face, leaving a small green blob behind. The creature twisted itself around, slamming him into the ground with its spiked tail. Buried under a mass of barbs, the hunter stabbed his dual blades into the appendage, and flowed aura through it.

Screeching in annoyance, the monster swung its tail upwards, sending the hunter a fair distance away. Unsheathing his ancestral blade as he landed, he was unfazed when the wyvern took to the skies and dive-bombed him. Charging up an attack, the hunter landed a slash to the belly, but was snatched from the ground. Holding him in its claw, the blade bird threw the hunter towards a cliff hanging over the sea.

Rolling across the ground, the hunter dug his shield into it, leaving drag marks and slime. Stopping short of the cliff's edge, he looked up to see the Seregios missing. Looking around angrily, he searched the skies for the familiar red and gold. Suddenly, a flash appeared in front of him- and the wind pressure from it sending him over the edge.

As he fell, slowly watching the world around him move, his red vision receded. Knowing there was only one way for him to survive this, he filled his sword with Aura. He danced it in front of him, forming a crest in the air. With a final swipe, he finished it. As a bright light shone, a new monster's roar could be heard. Latching on to the flying figure, the both of them rose into the air, and faced the Seregios.

This new wyvern was as large as his enemy, with a long and lime-green wingspan to match. Its tail was waving in the air, its spike at the end glinting in the sun. From its claws, a purple liquid dripped. On its azure hide stood the hunter, sword and shield at the ready. And from its mouth came a massive fireball.

Soaring into the sky, the seditious wyvern deftly dodged each orb of flame spewed at it. At the same time, it was launching volleys of projectiles scales. Its azure counterpart twisted in the air, spiraling around the rapid fire, the hunter clinging tightly to its scales. They kept firing at each other, red and gold below and azure above. After set of barbs were launched, the hunter made his move.

Leaping off the fire breather, he adjusted his course, aligning his descent with the Seregios. To this end, his partner kept it distracted, divebombing its rival. They met mid-air, and as the two clashed below him, the hunter placed a hand in his pouch. Digging around, he pulled out three spherical objects. As he fell closer to the two, the blue dragon disengaged from his enemy, flying below his master's shadow.

When there was enough distance between him and the avian wyvern, he dropped the three in its direction after charging them a bit with aura. His ride caught him, and the charges smacked against gold scales. The impact broke them apart, releasing a surge of lightning across its body. As the hunter and dragon flew back to watch, the enemy spasmed midair. It dropped, getting ever closer to the blue below. Before it hit the water, it managed to shake off the lightning, pulling back up.

Flying up to meet the two, it locked eyes with them. Both parties looped around, before flying towards each other at high speeds. Gold brandished a large, curved horn, and a spiked face that could shred apart the skins of its enemies. Blue held fire in its mouth, a sword-bearing hunter riding its back. They crossed paths in the air. Spiked wings dug into bellies, and the sound of two blades clashing reverberated through the skies. It was followed by the noise made when two swords break against each other.

The hunter widened his eyes as he viewed both the horn of his rival and his ancestral sword spinning in the air, both landing somewhere on nearby land. Meanwhile, the two wyverns turned to view each other again. One had a massive gash on its stomach, slash wounds crisscrossing over its hide, and most of its tail severed. The other had singed webbing on its wings, barely keeping it aloft, and was breathing out a light purple breath. Despite their lack of stamina, both still had enough energy to screech at each other.

Gold charged first, rushing at the dragon. It stayed in place, trying to breathe out a fireball, to no avail. The blade wyvern, however, had plenty of projectiles left to spare, evidenced by the several scales protruding from the neck and head of the dragon. With a death screech, it dropped out of the air- the hunter, however, did not. Leaping off the descending body, it met with the sedition once again in midair. Grabbing another bunch of bombs from his bag, he bashed it in the face with his shield once again, leaving more green residue on it. As the force from the bash guided him away from it, he tossed the bombs at its head.

When it exploded, shards of ice erupted, sending it spiraling down to the same piece of land the hunter was falling to. Placing his shield before him, he landed next to a set of azure fossils in an explosion of dust and slime. Behind him, the frozen wyvern crash landed, shattering the icicles. Knowing that his single shield wasn't enough, the hunter grabbed a random fossil from near him- a blue wing, with red markings opposite the edge.

As the Seregios got up from his crash, a circular object smacked its face. The hunter had thrown his shield, adding another layer of slime. It made the wyvern hit its face on the Earth, the same spot where a puddle of slime had formed from the hunter's crash landing. The volatile mix of slime forced the mixture to explode in its face.

Toppling over in exhaustion, the hunter pressed his advantage. Flowing aura into his blade, he hit with a chain of attacks. The wing was surprisingly sturdy, not breaking as he broke several of the monsters hard parts, even allowing him to cut off the tail. This was enough for the wyvern, surprising the hunter with a volley to his side. Whirling around his blade, the holes in it hindered his shield, with several shards digging into his side.

Before the wyvern could take his advantage, the hunter took a random bomb from his sack and threw it at the wyvern's face. A bright flash appeared, stunning the avian. Using this window of time to his advantage, the hunter roughly pulled out all the shards stuck in him. Reaching into another pack, he pulled out an orange, a red and a green vial. Uncorking each, he drank from them. He felt their immediate effects- his aura's natural healing abilities increased, the scale wounds scabbing over at an astonishing rate. He could feel his skin start to harden and his muscles growing.

Quickly, the hunter jumped onto the monster's back. Brandishing his new blade, he stabbed at the hide underneath him, refusing to let up. Soon, though, it shook off its initial stun. Unfolding its wings, it managed to lift itself off the ground. It steadily rose, the hunter still on its back. At enough altitude, the Seregios somersaulted, flinging the hunter to the ground. Righting himself midair, he noticed that he was falling onto a pointed bone.

As he heard a sickening noise, the hunter dropped his weapon. As his hands spasmed around, he felt a familiar steel edge. Craning his neck, he saw the broken half of his heirloom, just at his fingertips. Hearing the wyvern screech, he saw it charging right at him, scales all puffed up. Frantically, he struggled to grasp the broken edge.

Finally, he got it close enough to grasp it. Looking at his foe, he saw it get dangerously close. No time left to spare, he flung the ancestral blade at the Seregios. He saw, in slow motion, his sword spinning in the air. With no small hope, he saw it pierce the wyvern in the eye. The sudden interruption caused it to change course, its head falling towards a cerulean horn, embedded into the ground.

The hunter saw its head being impaled with its own horn, its body being buried by a broken ribcage. He exhaled, a sigh of relief. Wearily reaching into his pouch, he pulled out another green vial. Pulling himself free from the bone, he allowed himself to guzzle down the flask. Victory, peace, and an end to anger, were his.

* * *

 **A/N: Y'know, even I'm starting to get a little bored. So, I decided to omit a fight chapter before this one and made the human interaction earlier. We see Beacon's teachers sooner, we get to go back to the mainland sooner- and there won't be anymore fight only chapters until Initiation.**

 **Weapons drawn: Despot's Blitz, Dios Edge+ (shield), Notos and Crocea Mors (sword). Also, if a screamer sac and flashbug can be made into bombs, their "cousins" should be able to too.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on. (*coughalotcough*)**

 **See ya later!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

 **Two Days Later**

Simply capital!

The unknown land the group was traversing on had a bevy of discoveries waiting to be made. There were ores, lots and lots of ores, just sticking out of the ground. Most of them were new and unique, completely different from those found on the mainland.

And of course, the different species that could be found! This place was an ecological amusement park! Undocumented herbs and mushrooms growing from the ground, and odd, intriguing insects buzzing in the air, all of which made the green-haired hunter squeal in amazement. However, not everyone in his group shared his excitement. Whilst his longtime acquaintance and the red-haired captain were looking around in wonder, the junior members of his crew were a little more… childish.

"We've been walking around for hours now! I was psyched to see something like the thing we saw in the water, but we haven't seen anything cool yet! I'm tired, hungry, and bored of walking. Why are we even here again?"

The fast-paced hunter turned to look at the sailor with a straw hat. Clearing his throat, he answered,

"We are undergoing this expedition for the sake of scientific research. These islands contain multiple undiscovered new species and genera, not to mention the oddities in the magnetic field surrounding this island that our satellites detected. Our purpose here is to find the cause of this and to research on what possibilities lie in store for us on these islands."

"… Huh?" He was confused, not that it was unexpected. Aside from his low intellect, the poor doctor was speaking too fast. Another seadog, a blonde with a swirly eyebrow, dumbed his answer down.

"We're here because this is a mystery island, with a bunch of mysteries these guys want to solve." The answer seemed to satisfy him for a bit, although he still complained throughout their trek. Thinking to himself that a story is all they need to keep their spirits up, the manliest huntsman of the group opened his mouth.

"Ah, hiking through the woods like this almost makes me feel like a lad again! Why, I can remember all the times I trekked through woods like these. Being the adventurer that I was, and still am, there were many dangers I went through as I explored many forested lands. Such as that time where I…" His colleague tuned him out, having heard far too many of his outrageous stories through the years. As a sailor with a long nose started joining in with even more outlandish tales, however, the hunter had to stop himself from putting in earplugs. At least it kept the one with the straw hat occupied.

After several more minutes, they came onto a river, flowing with vibrant teal water. On the other side of the bank was a herd of reptilian creatures, each one highly reminiscent of a dinosaur. Their horned heads touched the water, filling up their grey stomachs. Slowly, those who weren't drinking plodded along the bank, juveniles trotting around their parents. It was a beautiful, stunning sight to behold.

The reactions were mixed. Amongst the crew's two most childish members, their eyes sparkled wide in amazement. Their red-headed captain, and a green-haired swordsman, both whistled at the sight. The blond had his chin underneath his mouth, nodding his head as he viewed each beast. Peter actually opened his eyes for this one, uttering "My word…" from his glorious mustache. Doctor Oobleck had his mouth open, gawking at the ecological amazement.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, the doctor took out a note and pen, and crossed the river with his trademark speed, documenting everything he could find about the creatures. Right behind him, the long-nosed sailor and the one with a straw hat rushed over, hoping to play with them. Smiling at the sight of the two, the captain just chuckled. Wading over, he sat himself down and took out a bottle of rum. Deciding that he would learn their level of edibility later, the blonde just took to fishing the river, wondering what unique piscine species he'll catch today. The swordsman came over, crawled underneath one, and started benching it. Surprisingly, the rest of the herd remained docile and calm, although the one being lifted up and down looked bewildered. Finally, Peter came over, stroking the head of a juvenile beast.

"My my, they're just like cattle on a farm!"

"Astounding! So creatures like this still exist in these times?"

"They're so fun to play with!"

"They're heavy little guys, aren't they?"

"Da-ha-ha oi! That's my rum!"

"What type of fish is this?"

"Another new species? Let me see!"

"Ooh! Looks tasty!"

The spent half an hour near the water, doing their own things. Eventually, the herd of creatures decided to move on, walking along the river towards a new location. The crew of the White Rose, plus the two hunters, hitched a ride on the beasts, saving their energy in case something unexpected pops up. As they travelled, chatting amiably among themselves, they came across a clearing.

It was something they thought they would never come across- a campsite.

They could see a massive log with some sort of animal pelt over it, underneath a rocky overhang- some sort of bed. Across from it was an extinguished fire pit, with still-glowing embers. Next to the bed, there were sacks of freshly-cooked meat on sticks hanging from the trees, wrapped in some sort of animal hide to keep insects away. Near the lake, across from the bed and fire, there was a small stump. Laid across it was a fishing pole, and on top of that there was a journal.

The most glaring feature, however, were the rows upon rows of weapons hanging on branches. There were shields and small clubs, along with a few staffs hanging around, and large amounts of bladed weaponry. Halberds, katana, daggers, spiked gloves- just huge amounts of blades. Oh, and a forge by the lake too.

They disembarked from their steeds, who had stopped to graze, and started looking about the camp.

The green-haired swordsman checked out the weapons stockpile first. Looking at it, he counted over fifty weapons hanging on the trees. Going up to them, he checked the blades' sharpness. Noting the small amount of blood trickling down his finger, he was not disappointed by most of them.

"Nice and strong, with a great design to boot." Inspecting them some more, he could feel it- the artisan's spirit. Looking at the various weapons, he could see the maker's determined nature, unwilling to give in. Although, most of these have some sort of anger to them. "What could make someone that mad?"

"This meat is delicious!" The one with a straw-hat and the blonde were checking out the meats. The blonde was noting their flavor- not too fatty, and very tender too. The inside was juicy, while the outside was salted just right. However, he was noticing something odd. The bed, he could see, was big enough for only one person. Yet, there was enough food for all of them to have at least one serving. Either this person is a glutton, or he/she was expecting company. At the thought of their mysterious host being female, he stopped worrying- rather, he adopted a stupid look on his face and was staring upwards at the sky.

The good doctor was looking through the journal. It seemed to be some sort of bestiary, having pictures and names for all the fauna they crossed paths with.

"Aptonoth," he read, looking at a caricature of the dinosaurian beings they were riding on moments ago. He read on, noting the creature presented on each page he looked at. He also started to notice the small images near each animal's mouth- it was either a leaf, an insect, a fish, or a small mammalian prey-animal. "This must be their diet. What's this? Some sort of ore? What type of large creature feeds on minerals?"

Continuing on, he noted the varying amounts of stars on each page he turned to. Some animals had one star, such as the Aptonoth- others had two, such as this "Jaggi" creature. The number of stars kept on increasing for each creature- he counted six stars at most for a single animal. Next to each star, on either side, there were smaller images. They looked different from each other, and each being had a different set, if they had one at all. They ranged from drawings of fire, thunder, water and ice, to more indiscernible images- purple bubbles and some type of claw, for example.

The group was interrupted from their musings when they heard a terrible roar from above. Looking into the sky, they saw something incredible. It was large, with maroon plating and a spiked tail. The wings were big, and were allowing it to dive-bomb very fast at something beyond the tree line. Each member of the expedition party looked at each other, as if they all had an explanation for what they just saw.

Suddenly, it burst from the trees into the clearing, scaring away the herbivores. Now, it had its tail cut off, and they noticed that several spikes it had were broken. Recovering from his stupor, the doctor rifled through the journal, before stopping on an image showing the creature in front of him, Rathalos it seemed, breathing-

Rearing its head back, it launched a fireball into the trees. Before it could reach, however, it dissipated into mist. From the steaming cloud, a person jumped out.

He was a teenager, looking around the age of seventeen, with a well-defined body structure littered with scars. His shaggy, blonde hair flew in the wind, and his cerulean eyes were filled with hardened determination. In his hands, he held a pair of twin blades, with shell-like edges and blue bodies. One handle was red, the other was teal.

Jumping onto the wyvern's neck, he plunged both blades inside. Afterwards, a large amount of electric shocks, plus some red energy, coursed through its body. From there, he twisted the blades, before crossing them through, decapitating the wyvern. As he stood over the body, he raised both blades into the air, and let out a cry of victory.

He then gave his attention to the stunned group in front of him. Sheathing his blades, he gave them a curious glance. Thinking to himself that it might not be easy to communicate with the teen in front of them, the mustachioed hunter took a try. Pointing to himself, he said aloud,

"Name: Peter." He then gestured over to his colleague, pointing at him while saying, "Name: Barty." He did the same with the crew of the White Rose. When he finished, he repeated it, before the teenager copied the words he was saying. Without having Peter to guide him, he gestured at them all, copying the words the older hunter said. Next, the hunter pointed at him, and in a questioning tone, asked him, "Name?"

The wild child thought for a moment- it was clear he was having trouble shifting through his memories. Something stirred inside him- something buried deep. Then, his eyes widened. Turning to look at the group in front of him, he said,

"N-name: Jaune Arc."

* * *

 **A/N: To those who say satellites don't exist in Remnant, neither do Tigrexes (?)**

 **Anyways, I'm sorry this chapter is late and subpar, studying for finals is just... *********

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

The two months they spent here went quite well.

Currently, they were in one of the five base camps scattered across the archipelago. It was sunset, and each member of the group was doing their normal activities at this time. Both blondes were carving a monster corpse they hunted earlier today- a Nargacuga if the doctor (who?) remembers correctly. The two junior members of the crew, along with their captain, were listening intently to a story Peter was telling them. The swordsman was inspecting the weapons Jaune stored in this base camp, and doctor Oobleck was mulling over some notes not far away.

That was what it looked like, at least. Instead, he was thinking of the best way to address a certain problem the crew ran into- their host.

Don't get him wrong, the time they spent with Jaune was enlightening to both sides. He had wisdom in the ways of the islands, such as the river of literal venom flowing somewhere in this area. Those types of things, alongside his intimate knowledge of the archipelago's natural inhabitants, aided the group monumentally in their expedition. Likewise, they helped him in different ways. Most important, they helped him with his speech impairment. Well, they didn't help that much, it was more that they helped him remember basic English. He still stutters, and has some difficulty forming lengthy sentences, but otherwise is good.

That wasn't the problem though. It was the name he gave them when they met: Jaune Arc. That name sounded so familiar to Oobleck and Port, yet they couldn't quite figure it out. On their second week, however, they remembered something a friend of theirs told them seven years prior. He told the two a piece of depressing news- his son's birthday was crashed by the White Fang, and afterwards he went missing. The man who gave them the news was the family patriarch, Jacques Arc.

The more the two looked at Jaune, it was clear he was Jacques's missing son. So they came to a decision- they would talk to the lad, and ask him if he would like to come home with them. Despite their decision, they didn't do it immediately. Why? The child wasn't able to understand them fully at the time. So they waited until he regained enough knowledge before asking him. That time was now.

* * *

"Nargacuga BBQ ready!"

"Ooh, looks good!"

Dinnertime with the group was a frenzied affair, what with having two people that can eat like ten people each. They quickly got used to it after a few weeks, and were currently enjoying the food being cooked. Most of them at least, as the two Huntsmen looked slightly constipated. The cook noticed this, and started to feel offended.

"What's the matter, you two? Don't like my cooking?" They didn't answer him at first. After a few seconds, they just placed their makeshift plates on the ground next to them. Raising their heads to everyone's eye level, Peter spoke.

"We need to address this problem now." Everyone stopped eating, and set their food down. What could be of such importance? Oobleck turned his head to face Jaune, his face serious, and began to explain for his colleague.

"We will leave this island in three days time." Everyone let out an 'Oh yeah!' at that, before they tilted their heads in confusion. What could that possibly have to do with anything? Then, it dawned on the captain what they were talking about.

"We can't bring the lad along, can't we?" Everyone else, save for the subject of the matter and the sailor with a straw hat, started to look slightly uncomfortable at this. Raising his hands in a defensive gesture, Peter spoke once more.

"Actually, it's not a matter of him staying behind. Rather, it's a matter of where the lad wishes to go." Understanding swept once more through the crew, except for the one sailor. Raising his voice, he questioned them.

"Oi, what're you all talking about? What's this about staying or not? Who's staying or not?"

"Look, Luffy, they're talking about whether Jaune should leave with us or stay on the island." Jaune simply pointed at himself.

"M-me?" Oobleck simply nodded.

"We're giving you this chance to come with us to civilization, to meet your own family again. Don't worry about your weapons and equipment- the _White Rose_ should have enough space on board. However, it's you we're worried about. You've been on this island far longer than we have, and it's clear you have an attachment to it. So, Jaune, we as-"

"Okay. I'll go with you." This made the crew spit-take, as this was not the answer they would've expected. They expected at least a day's worth of silence before a seemingly reluctant answer. Instead, they got a blunt and short one.

"Well, this is a surprise. We would've expected you to at least be… not that eager to come with us." This made him look at them in confusion.

"W-why would I n-not be? Y-you said I could meet my p-parents. A-anything I need to do here-ere is done. W-what reason do I have to stay-ay?" They all shared a look with each other. Then they started chuckling, before hooting in mirth while Jaune just watched confused. Then, the captain stood up.

"Celebration!"

"Aye!"

* * *

 **Four Days Later**

 _*sigh*_

Today was a dark day for his family. Jacques reluctantly got out of bed, heading downstairs to meet the rest of his family. His wife, Isabelle, was sitting with his seven daughters. They were all dressed in black, and so would he after he had breakfast.

Grabbing a plate one of the maids offered to him, he started eating. However, he wasn't eating as heartily as he normally did. Slowly chewing his food, he glanced at the rest of the table. Behind their thin smiles, there was a layer of gloom. This layer was thinner than it was years ago, but it was still present. His eyes landed on a vacant seat.

Finishing up his dinner, he went back to his bedchambers. Locking himself inside his bathroom, he could hear the servants trying to find a good suit for him from his wardrobe. As he freshened himself up, he couldn't stop thinking about seven years ago. None of his relatives could, not on this day.

After finishing his shower, and after getting dressed, he went back to the dining hall, passing by some of his currently awakening brothers and sisters and their children. On the way there, he stopped in front of a portrait. It was of a young boy, with messy blonde hair and shining blue eyes. He was smiling brightly in the painting, with his mother and father beside him. With a simple sigh, he found the spoke.

"Happy birthday, son."

"Milord!" He turned his head, staring at the senior butler who appeared in front of him. He motioned for him to speak. "Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck and Professor Peter Port are here to see you, milord." Those two, hmm? He hadn't heard from them for two months. Maybe jolly old Peter's stories can lighten the mood in this house…

"Alright, I'll be right with them. Thank you, Valkenhayn." Dismissing the elderly butler, he made his may to the main hall. Getting closer, he could hear the unmistakable laugh of a certain portly professor. Walking turning at a corner, he was greeted with a familiar sight. His green-haired friend was conversing with his wife and two eldest daughters. The rest of them, alongside some of his nieces and nephews, were listening to a story his portly old friend was telling him.

"Why, if it isn't my old friends Peter and Barty!"

"Jacques, my old boy! Great to see our old team leader back in shape today." Bringing his arms out, both men hugged each other, with Peter adding in a hearty slap to the back.

"Jacques it is excellent to see you and Isabelle once more. And as always you make such a fine brew." As if to punctuate it, the hyperactive doctor emptied his cup right then.

"Thank you, Bartholomew. Tell me, what brings you two to my humble abode?" The two exchanged glances.

"Well, as you know we recently went on an expedition to an undiscovered island. We just returned home today, and as we traveled back to Beacon we passed by the neighborhood."

"Old chap, as we passed by, we couldn't help but feel the downcast atmosphere emanating from this mansion. As such, we took it upon ourselves to see if we couldn't help brighten your day." The gesture made the patriarch smile softly at his two friends. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several large boxes being unloaded into the main hall.

"I have a question for you two: what are those?" He could hear giggling from some of his daughters at that.

Instead of answering, the good doctor simply opened the side of one crate. Out from it came an assortment of blades and shields, each with a unique design to them. Jacques sent a questioning gaze towards the portly hunter.

"Why Jacques, these are souvenirs we obtained from the island." He picked one up, and showed it to the patriarch. "Each one is a masterpiece, a fine piece of work crafted from the resources of the island. These are gifts, especially to any Arc, past, present, or future, that wishes to wield them." This peaked his curiosity.

"Crafted weapons? Who was on that island, and where did they get the tools necessary to make such glimmering metal?" His question was ignored as the doctor brought up a completely different topic.

"If I remember correctly, today would be your son's seventeenth birthday, yes? That calls for an extra special gift." As he said this, the sounds of someone walking up the front stairs could be heard. Gasps of shock resounded from the mansion's residents that were currently outside. "A gift, I believe, that would make the entire Arc family ecstatic."

Wondering what all the commotion was, Jacques turned to face the front door… and was floored by what he saw.

A teenager, probably no older than seventeen, walked into view. He had two swords strapped to his back, an ancient blue katana and a seditious gold hook. His hair was blond, and his eyes were blue. Despite all the scars that covered his body, there was a clear resemblance to two others in the room, and a clear resemblance to someone they thought they lost years ago.

"I-I'm home!"

* * *

 **A/N: YOU guys are probably irritated since it took me almost a week to update this thing. I'M thoroughly pissed because me trying to work on this over the past week was like me trying to hunt a Plesioth! For those who don't know, the Plesioth is a shark/wyvern/ chicken monster that never F***ING sits still so you can hit it. That's how I felt this past week because every chance I had to work on this, something elbows me in the face and forces me away from my laptop. I can't even use homework as an excuse anymore...**

 **BTW you guys will probably hate me for this, but I'm putting this story on hiatus for a while. Not now, but in like two chapters.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	18. Chapter 18

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Chaos.

That was a good way to describe the mansion, filled with forty-four Arcs, for the first few seconds after Jaune's arrival. A large amount of it was him receiving hugs and kisses from Isabelle Arc, his mother. Then, Jacques Arc recovered from his shock and remembered all the people who, in the past, claimed to be Jaune to take advantage of the Arc family. He especially remembered all those that nearly fooled the family, had it not been for a DNA test. Such as the one the blond hunter was strapped to, and all of the Arc family (including the two teachers) were looking at

"Dad, do we have to do this?" came the exasperated voice from his daughter, Pâle Arc. Sighing to himself, he simply sent a look her way, silencing her.

"Honestly, honey, is this really necessary? You know Bartholomew and Peter wouldn't try to fool you." To punctuate this, the two in question simply had smug grins.

"You're right, Isabelle, I may just be being paranoid. But still, what if this lad just happened to be on that island at the right time? What if he's just toying with us? What if-"

"Alright, Jacques, say what you're saying is true. If he is, in fact, a counterfeit, then you can ask anything of me and Peter, no matter how humiliating. But if he isn't… I would like eighty-six gallons of your special, hand-brewed coffee." Just as he was about to rebuke his old friend, the device beeped. Forgetting anything else, the Arc family stormed it, trying to see the results. Grandfather Pépé Arc was the one who managed to see it first.

"It's… A MATCH!" At this, the household shook in hoots and hollers. Sighing exasperatedly, the patri-Arc made his way towards the kitchen, but stopped. He turned himself around, looking for his regular helper for whenever he made this brew, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Ambré? Ambré Arc? Has anybody seen her?" One of the seven sisters, a redheaded girl asking Jaune about the crafts he made, answered the call.

"Cadette went to the restroom. She had to take care of some weird nosebleed." An older female, wearing pure-black shades and feeling Jaune's biceps, shook her head and sighed.

"I'll go help my niece. _Yare-yare daze, what is with teenage girls these days?_ "

"Merci, Rin. Tell her not to be in there too long, I'll need all the help I can get. Thirty-seven gallons, good lord!"

While this drama was going on, poor Jaune was being hounded on by his relatives. Most of the older ones were all up in his face, asking questions about his time away from home. His aunts, in particular, were asking things his mother should, such as "how often were you able to brush your teeth?" and "Could you eat well?" The lady that should be asking these was instead ordering the servants around, trying to set up a party at the last moment.

Meanwhile, his generation of the Arc family was less in his face and more into photography, posting on social media sites pictures of their long-lost relative. But as expected, several of them, his sisters mainly, started to tear up in happiness. Breaking away from his aunts and uncles, who were still chatting behind him, the blonde hunter noticed the few that were crying.

Not knowing what to do, he simply gathered them up for a small group hug, and waited until their tears rescinded. They pulled away from the hug, rubbing their faces under Jaune's concerned glare.

"C-C'mon, what's wrong-ng?" As they continued to sniffle, they smiled.

"It's just… we're so happy to see you again after all these years." Around them, the rest of the family smiled.

"We all are." At that moment, Isabelle Arc burst right into the grand hall, silencing the rest. She had a wide grin on her face, and was now wearing a semi-formal, bright yellow dress.

"Everyone, get dressed for the occasion! Instead of mourning something, let's have a party!" Everyone made their way back to their quarters, except for the Arc sisters. Instead, they herded Jaune towards a dressing room. They called out to the servants, asking for clothes he could wear, along with a hairdresser and someone to bathe him. The poor teen was confused, and looked slightly worried.

As he was being led out, two Arcs emerged from the bathrooms and back into the hall. One had short, blonde hair, a white bow on top of her head, thick and dark shades and a tired look on her face. The other had long, straight blonde hair, cerulean eyes, and an embarrassed visage. The older Arc, Rin Arc, loudly announced their return.

"Hey, didn't anyone hear me?"

"Um, auntie? I they all left." A maid who was passing by quickly filled them in with the details. "R-Really? My sisters are dressing J-Jaune right now? I think I better go help the-" Without pause, her aunt grabbed her by the ear.

"Oh no, you don't, Ambré! You'd be more of a hindrance than help, what with your _personality trait_. No, I think you're going to your cousin Megurine's room to change!" She dragged the protesting Arc by the ear, feeling her way out of the hall.

He had never seen anything like this.

Sure, Captain Shanks and the crew of the _White Rose_ often threw what they called "parties" but the sight in front of him definitely puts those to shame.

They were in a forest, facing a gargantuan tree, which was surrounded by smaller ones. Banners were strewn about the branches, and balloons were placed in front of the massive roots. All of his- he guessed family- were sitting on the roots, along with the Doctor (who?) and the huntsman. As the two chatted amiably, he could see two wooden barrels behind Dr. Oobleck.

Standing on a large slab of stone in front of the tree were his parents and sisters. He was ushered by the servants onto the natural podium. He stood between his mother and father, both with smiles on their faces. His father placed one hand on his shoulder, and thrust the other into the air.

"What a joyous day it is! For seven years ago, a raid by the White Fang left this household without a son. Today, however, fate has gifted us once more with his presence!" He paused for a bit to wipe at the tears forming in his eyes. "Today is supposed to be his time to shine, but instead it feels more like a gift to us than a gift to him! So, let's all shout it out together!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAUNE!"

He lay there, still awake whilst everyone else slept on. Oobleck and Port already left a couple hours ago, probably to their homes.

He was lying down on a wooden beam above his sleeping sisters, leaving a mattress unoccupied. It was far too soft for his taste- he took the fluffy comforter, though. It was nice, soft, and it was warmer than the one used back on the islands.

He looked down at them, watching their sleeping faces. His mind went back to the party- the games, the odd music, and the o-so-sweet cake. He never had anything like that when he was living in the wilderness. He never had such a large family, such love and devotion.

Wait, he did, didn't he? There was The Man, who played the role of father to him. He was the reason he was able to survive the island. But still, one man could only do so much. He couldn't feel a mother's embrace until today, nor was he able to eat something as sweet.

Out there, it was wild. There was always a chance the various base camps could be attacked- heck, they often were. Here, however, he felt safe. He felt warm. He felt comfortable.

Except for his butt. Every now and then, during the party, someone would grope it. He couldn't find out whom, but he will. (He didn't notice the awkward position one of his sisters was in, with her form trembling and her hands somewhere…)

But other than that, he felt content. Happy. He was home.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, I'm such a sucker for these sweet sort of things. Too bad I can't seem to convey it properly...**

 **Good news for you guys, I'm extending this for one more chapter, bringing the total amount to twenty before this story goes on hiatus for a bit. For those disappointed, I need time to work on the remaining three ideas I have, and trying to juggle multiple works doesn't seem to be that easy for me. I tried with a different account, didn't work out.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	19. Chapter 19

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Load this character?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

The sun bore down on the manor. A small beam of it passed through a window, striking a young blonde man. The intensity of the light slowly stirred him from his rest atop a beam of wood. Slowly, he opened his cerulean eyes to see twin orbs of red, white, and black.

Panicking, but without screaming, he slammed his hand onto the ground, or at least he tried. Instead, he found no purchase, but felt his eyes widen along with the other person's. They fell onto the hard wooden floor under the watchful eye of five other people, their shock making them forget they could have easily landed gracefully.

The pair tried to untangle themselves, moving to the beat of four people wallowing in mirth… and one person looking on in jealousy. As the two separated from each other, Jaune had a good look at his surroundings. Rouge, the oldest of his siblings, was cackling while holding a bottle of something in her hand that smelt bad. Mandarine, the next oldest, was chuckling with her hand over her mouth. Ambré Arc was giving the duo a rather cold stare, while Chartreuse Arc was rolling around, clutching her belly. Celeste Arc was taking a picture of them, trying her hardest to not shake too much, while her twin, Violet, was nowhere to be found.

Finally, there was the person on top of him, the youngest Arc sister (older than him by three years), Pâle Arc. Quickly, she got off of him, and bowed her head in apology.

"So, so sorry, Jaune! We were just curious about you sleeping up there, and Ambré said that your sleeping face was kinda cute, and I-" He got up, his six feet dwarfing her five, and rubbed the top of her head. He noted how her personality right now was different from her personality last night… strange…

"H-hey, it's alright-ight. I've gone th-through worse falls." She sighed in response.

"If you say so…" The door opened, and a girl with purple eyes and hair stepped into the room.

"What's with you guys? Didn't you hear that breakfast has been ready for the past ten minutes? C'mon, or our cousins are going to eat them all."

* * *

They were at a large breakfast hall, with several round tables. Each one had the occupants at the edge, and plates, napkins, and silverware in the center. Servants walked to and fro, serving drinks, while members of the Arc family went to a long table to get their breakfast dishes.

Jaune was currently sitting with his sisters, father, and Uncle Pecos. Each of them recounted stories from the seven years he was gone, and when they were finishing up, Jacques Arc spoke.

"Son, me and your uncles shifted through the weapons you crafted on the island."

"Hoo-boy, son they're some fine werks of art, they are! But we gotta ask, whatever happened to yer dad's old sword and shield, Crocea Mors?"

"…Huh?"

"Crocea Mors," Violet answered, "one of the oldest weapons belonging to our family. Forged for one of our ancestors, Julius Caesar Arc, it is a weapon that has been with us for over two thousand years. It is a combination of a white sword with a blue and gold hilt, and a white shield with the family crest on them, both of which are said to never rust, never dull, never dent, and never break." Recognition dawned on his face.

"O-oh yeah, those-ose two. I lo-lost the shield."

"Well now, what happened to the sword?"

"It broke." This elicited a spit-take from the father. Dabbing himself clean, he cleared his throat.

"Impossible! How?"

"The in-inside rusted-ed first. If-f you want to know where it is now, I re-reforged it into-o the gold hook you s-saw I had str-strapped to my back." Celeste had a thoughtful look on her face.

… _How can it rust from the inside out? Hmm, probably author interference._

* * *

As they finished up breakfast, his relatives started to say goodbye to Jaune. They made their way towards the door while the servants were carrying heavy bags. He looked to Mandarine for more information.

"Oh, of course you forgot! Well, we don't all live in the same house. That'd be too chaotic. Instead, they're going back to their normal houses and everyday lives, like uncle Pecos and his Vacuoan ranch or aunt Rin and her Atlesian software firm."

"Th-then why were they here?"

"It's an old Arc tradition, whenever a birthday or something happens, all members must arrive one day early to the hosting Arc's house and stay until the morning of the day after the event." Jaune suddenly felt an arm being slung around his shoulders. Turning his head, he saw a field of green hair atop an overly cheery visage.

"Speaking of leaving, the two of you gotta change! Since we didn't have any presents ready for ya, Jaune, we're heading to a mall!"

"M-mall? What-at's that?" Rouge came up and answered this time.

"Yeah! Lesh go to the mall! *Hic!* Lesh go buy a bunch of crap, like clothes. I alsho wanna meet with shome friendsh over there. Ooh! Ooh! I'll drive the car!" Celeste made a face at this.

"Hell no, Rouge! You're drunk! Let Pâle drive, she's the safest driver out of all of us anyway." Ambré's voice suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"I'll help Jaune get dressed up!"

* * *

Jaune stood in awe at the sight before him. When he looked at the outside of the building, it was massive. And as he walked in, it felt even larger inside than outside. How else could this many people be walking around the inside of this thing? He watched as they went in and out of many different-colored alcoves, each with a sign at the top. He also saw them walking up many flights of stairs, get magically transported from one floor to the next by a strange metal box, and somehow glide up a set of black stairs. Though, the fact that they were also moving may have had something to do with it…

"Alright," Rouge spoke up. "I'm sober enough now, so let's choose who's on Jaune duty right now."

"Actually," came Mandarine's voice, "I'd like to give Jaune my present first."

"Oh? What's that?" Not ten seconds later, they wound up in front of an ice cream parlor.

"This!" Jaune wondered what those things on cones he saw people eating were. Truth be told, he was really giddy as he waited for Mandarine and Rouge to get them their ice cream.

They cam back, both of them holding a small tray with four cones on each. They set them down on the table, and began to eat. Rouge took a cherry flavored one, Mandarine took orange sherbet, Ambré took lemon-lime, Chartreuse had mint, Celeste had blue raspberry, Violet had berry, Pâle had vanilla, and Jaune had a three-scooped cone of white, pink, and brown. Watching how the others ate theirs, slowly licking the creamy thing on top, he copied them. Starting from the brown, he licked through the white and past the pink. As he tasted it, he was taken aback by how good it was. Letting a bit of himself loose, he practically devoured the thing like a well-done steak. This was a mistake, evidenced by the aching head he received. Seeing as she already gave him his present, Mandarine elected herself to Jaune duty. As she watched the rest of her sisters split apart and go to the different parts of the mall, she looked over at her complaining little brother. Seven years… time hasn't really changed much since then…

* * *

"Hmm…"

Pâle Arc was staring at a small, war-hammer shaped pendant at the jewelry store she was in. As she did, she remembered a particular story professor Port told her about Jaune. How, every time they hunted, before a hunt, he would sit down in front of a hammer embedded into the ground. When he asked him, he said,

"M-my friend… my ma-master… a father-er figure…"

 _Just hurry up and get the pendant, Pâle. Stop wasting time._

 _All right, Jean._

* * *

Ambré was chuckling to herself as she looked for clothes she could cosplay Jaune in, during any private time she got with her younger brother. Private time…

She shook her head, not wanting to pass out in a public place from a nosebleed. Although, since she didn't want to look suspicious in front of her family, she might as well also get him some legitimate clothes.

Wait a minute, look at that adorable blue bunny onesie over there!

* * *

Celeste Arc was getting irritated with the sales associate in front of her.

All she wanted to do was to get a scroll for her little brother, maybe even teach him how to use it, to help him get with the modern world. Instead, she had to deal with this idiot in front of her trying to sell her some cheap-ass flip-phone. As he continued to try and tell her how it's better for beginners, her irritated side was beginning to think unleashing her electrical semblance might be a good idea, and was fighting her rational side. Her logical side, though…

 _Why are flip-phones here in Remnant?_

* * *

 _Bad! Stop Violet!_

She thought to herself, as tried her hardest to not curl up with a goo book in the bookstore she was in. She was supposed to be looking for a nice book for Jaune's reading level, which she had to guess was between first and third grade… that bestiary didn't give enough information regarding his level.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl with a black bow enjoying one of her works, _Ninjas of Love_. All she thought was,

 _Isn't she too young?_

* * *

"A little bit wouldn't hurt much, right?"

That's what Rouge said to herself as she walked around a store called _Alberona's_. Stopping in front of an item, she inspected it, read the labels, and tested it out.

"Yeah, just a little bit of some weak booze like this should be good enough. Heh, I'm a good elder sister."

* * *

Chartreuse was quietly humming to herself as she skipped around the mall, carrying around four shopping bags in her arms. She was grinning- not only was she able to get her little brother some cute animal plushies, he always did seem to like the ones she kept, she also managed to get some of HER shopping done!

"Now, where was the food court again? Oh well, more skipping for me!"

* * *

"ROUGE ARC YOU WILL NOT GIVE OUR LITTLE BROTHER ALCOHOL!"

"C'mon, Celeste! It's stupidly weak, he has Arc genes, and he's at the drinking age."

"THE DRINKING AGE IS TWENTY! HE'S SEVENTEEN!"

"My little brother… getting drunk…" As Ambré's mind went into overdrive about what could happen if she and her brother drank, she passed out with a nosebleed. Her sweet nature coming into play, Mandarine took care of her little sister's unconscious body while Violet pinched her nose, Jaune looking with confusion.

"Wait," she thought to herself, "this could be good material." Jean was trying to get between her two sisters.

"Rouge! Celeste! Stop fighting, please!"

"Found you guys!"

* * *

 **A/N: More on their personalities next chapter.**

 **So, give me all the criticisms! Be it through review or through PM, let me know your thoughts, especially anything that needs to be worked on.**

 **See ya later!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Welcome. Please select the game data that you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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 **Welcome to the world of Monster Hunter!**

* * *

Beams of sunlight shone through the small window in the Arc siblings' room. As one of them hit Jaune Arc's face, he stirred. Slowly, he opened one eye, only to be met by mirth-filled eyes of black. Once more, just like the day before, he unceremoniously fell off the wooden beam that he was using as his bed, landing right at the feet of one Celeste Arc.

"Really, Rouge? You're doing that again?" The woman she was referring to merely chortled, and wagged a finger at her younger sister.

"Oh come one, Celeste! You laughed at it yesterday, too!" Celeste just put her head into her hand.

"There is just no winning with you? Well, Celeste-la-vie. Though, it's kinda nice how you're not pranking me as often with little brother around…" As she said this she walked out of the room, leaving only the two occupants inside. Well, she attempted to, as when she walked under the door…

 _Here it comes. How_ unexpected _for an author to do something like this._

A bucket of water fell on top of her head.

"HAHAHA! You thought!" Growling she wiped some of the water off her face. She shot a glare at Rouge, before remembering why she walked back inside the room after waking up. As Jaune watched the exchange in interest and curiosity, wondering if this is normal across all households, Celeste turned her head towards him.

"By the way, Pâle's waiting for you outside. I'd want to hurry if I were you- she gets scary when impatient."

"Ah, I-I'll get right-ight there." As he walked out, Rouge held her chin in thought. As she thought about why she would be out this early, a single thought came into her mind.

"…Jaune's screwed."

* * *

As the male Arc went outside to the manor's backyard, he noticed something was different. Namely, the sight of his smaller sister, dressed in light and white armor that hugged her short, not so curvy body. She was fidgeting about while holding an emerald spear. The blade was single-edged and curved, with green markings on the flat part and a layer of frost on the edge, the white mist matching her waist-length white hair and red eyes.

"O-oh, you're here. Thanks for coming, Jaune." _Ah, he's wearing the pendant we gave him…_

"S-sure." She noticed the stare she was giving to his neck, before it clicked and he realized what it was. "Ah, th-this? It's lov-lovely. Thank-ank you for getting this. B-by the way, what-at are we doing?" With this, she started to look away while twirling a bit of hair with her finger.

"W-well, we kept hearing about all the monsters you hunted on that island, so I was kinda curious about how good you were. Do you mind if we spar?" He tilted his head in confusion. Looking at him made her feel sheepish, it was likely he didn't remember what a spar was.

"Well, you used to fight those big monsters, right? A spar is kinda like that, except we don't try to kill each other or break bones and stuff like that. We just fight until either of us are tired. That okay with you?" He nodded his head in response. "Great!" Slowly, she broke from a shy grin into one that slightly unnerved him.

"Let's have some fun, 'kay?"

… _Just don't break him, Pâle._

* * *

"Ohmigosh, sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

Each sorry the older sibling gave towards her younger brother was punctuated with the bow of a head while he sat in Mandarine's thick lap as the three of them occupied the manor's sickroom. As he found out, her personality in battle was… it was like the first time he spotted a Deviljho, just no word to describe it other than terrifying. When their spar was over, though, she reverted back to the shy persona currently kneeling in front of her two siblings.

"I-it's fine, really."

"You heard him, Pâle. He's alright. Now then," She gave her a sickly sweet smile, backed by a dangerous, dark purple, anime-esque aura. "Could you please let my patient rest?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" With that, she bolted out of the room.

That's how he found himself now, a wounded Arc wrapped in bandages and being taken care of by his sibling. She had on an orange turtleneck sweater, a white labcoat, and jeans that showed off her slightly portly figure as she was prepping new bandages for him to change into. With one hand, she was making a salve out of the herbs that were brought back from the island, while the other held a large slice of cake.

"These herbs are very good, just like this orange cake. You wouldn't happen to know how to farm these, right?"

"Y-yes, I can."

"Excellent! Now stay still, I need to give you some more bandages. Aura can heal and makes an excellent shield, but even it needs a boost once in a while." Once more she set to work, her smile never leaving her face.

Violet walked into the sickroom, several books in hand. Her younger brother was casually sitting in a chair, waiting for his Aura and medicines to completely heal him. The process, at this point, would take four more hours, just enough time to get a good book in.

Mandarine, who was throwing away the old bandages, saw her younger sister and gave a sickly-sweet smile.

"So, Violet, it's your turn with Jaune now?"

"Yes, I have two hours with him, and then it's Celeste's turn. I want to see how good of a reader he is." Hearing this, Jaune stared at her in curiosity.

He stared at her, clad in white and purple scholar's robes with a large ribbon tying her hair into a ponytail and wearing red-rimmed glasses. As he stared, he could only think, _Turns? Read? What?_

She noticed the confusion on his face. "To put it simply, each Arc sister is going to spend part of our day with you. It's my turn now, which I will use to teach you how to read properly. After this is Celeste's turn." With that, she sat down next to him, and opened a book titled, _Sneetches on Beaches._

* * *

"Good run, Jaune. At least now you know how punctuation works."

"Y-yay." Came the rather tired voice of her younger brother. As excited as he was about learning, doing nothing but analyzing how each and every punctuation mark in a children's book works, and how they affect the sentence, became a bit stale within two hours. As such, it was a relief to him when Celeste came in, signifying the end of Violet's two-hour shift.

"Well now, I must be going." She stood up, and gave her sister a nod. "Enjoy learning how to use a scroll, Jaune!" She skipped out of the room. With a confused glance, ("That's becoming rather common these last few chapters." "W-what?" "Nothing.") Jaune turned his head towards Celeste. She knew what was going to happen next. Sighing, she took out the piece of technology she bought yesterday, showing it off to Jaune.

"THIS is a scroll," She held in her hand a white, rectangular piece of equipment with a yellow diamond in the middle. "It doesn't look like much now, but when you touch the diamond in the center..." She held it out for him to touch. He pressed it, which caused it to extend outwards from the middle, showing a tablet-like surface. "It opens up, allowing all it's cool functions to be used!"

She had on a goofy smile, set underneathe her azure eyes and green reading glasses. Soon, her smile turned into an unpleasant frown, and she crossed her arms over her average chest, and subsequently over her teal tank top and indigo short-shorts. Oh, she knew what was coming. "You're going to give me less screen time so the other girls can have theirs, right?" She says to the audience and a confused Jaune. "If it's like that, then let's just skip Ambré, since it's just her having fun dressing Jaune up in different outfits. We'll cut to Chartreuse and Rouge now."

* * *

"How cute!" Exclaimed an overly cheery voice, as two different siblings won some animal plushies at a carnival, with a third one nearby. One of them, a blonde, looked at the green-haired girl with a verdant dress and purple ascot next to him.

"I-I thought that it-t was supposed-ed to be on-one at a time-me?" The girl he was next to answered.

"It's because I'm such a clutz, silly! We need someone like Rouge, who can actually lead us home if we get lost!" The last one, a voluptuous red-haired girl wearing a red duster coat with charcoal slacks and an ash suit, gave a slightly drunken reply.

"Besides, aren't you tired being cooped up in that house all the time?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then come have some fun with us here at the carnival! There's games, other attractions, food, and drinks, all for customers like us!" Chartreuse Arc gave a cheery affirmation at that, followed by a more indifferent one from her younger brother. Waving her arm up and down like the leader of a marching band, Rouge Arc led her siblings from one attraction to the other. As the time set in, however, Chartreuse started to get bored. That is, until she saw another stand.

This was unlike the others, though. She could see it as a ginger and a familiar oriental-looking guy were walking away from it- actually, it would be correct to assume that they were the reason she noticed it. After all, it wasn't every day one got to see two people carry around a man-sized sloth plush! Her eyes sparkling, she drifted away from her other two siblings.

Meanwhile, Rouge was having a bit of fun with her brother at a shooting stand. She was laughing at him for being such a bad shot, while he was laughing at her for being an even worse shot. It was when they called for Chartreuse's turn that they saw she went missing.

"O-oh no, wh-where is she?"

"Calm, down, bro. She won't be lost for too long. Just keep enjoying ourselves, she'll find us eventually!"

"B-but she has no-o sense of dir-direction!"

"I said relax, already! Look, there she is holding a massive plushie, right behind you." Looking at where her smiling older sister was pointing at, Jaune saw an odd sight. It was a giant creature, the size of a man. It's claws were dull, but shiny and imposing nonetheless. But the worst part was it's face, etched into a creepy smile that sent shivers down his spine. Before he could say anything, however, a familiar face popped up from behind it.

"Hi guys! What do you think of my awesome sloth plushie? It's so cute and big and realistic!" Jaune took another look at that thing, before hiding behind his older sibling.

* * *

It was late when they came home, Rouge holding two large gourds of alcohol while Jaune and Chartreuse were supporting her, dragging behind them a cart full of the stuff they bought. As they came inside their home, they noticed he sound of their siblings and parents arguing with someone. Jaune didn't know, but his sisters sure did. Suddenly, a door opened, and out came a white-haired man Jaune never saw before. He had an emerald scarf and a black suit, holding a cane in one hand an a cup of coffee in the other.

"Why, you must be Jaune." He drawled out, pausing to take a sip of his cup. Once more, in his smooth voice, he called out to him. "Would you like to join my school?"

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's done. I did promise more on their personalities, a few of them at least. Unfortunately, the final chapter in this 20-chapter prologue will be followed by a hiatus, meaning we get to see more Jaune and Ozpin after several months. In the meantime, check my other fic and my upcoming one, "Wings of Change" that feature an eagle-faunus Jaune! Please PM and review, and I'll see ya later!**


	21. Advanced Hunting: The Flying Rainbow!

**A/N: So, uh... I'm back again? I hope you aren't... THAT disappointed. It's been around a year, and with school troubles and branching out with new fanfic ideas, I was a bit unable to work on this particular story. I'll try not disappoint with timing, and I'll try and get this out every Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but school's a bitch.**

 **yomunot: You laugh now, but jokes on you!... I got nothin**

 **freddy. lane. 1: Yis. To both.**

 **I. dunno: Are you still waiting?**

 **howdy: Earth's blown up? Well, the seven mystical Rathalos Balls just wished it back.**

 **SnapDragon21: Several months can equate to around a year... sorry for the long wait**

 **BrownTeddyBear: *bows in apology* forgive me, master.**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

Despite Ozpin's goading, Jaune refused to go to… what was it called again? "Bacon Academy"? Well, whatever it was, he didn't want to go. After all, he'd been absolutely devoid of any contact with his family for a really long time. There was no way he'd ever want to lose this attachment, not even under Ozpin's insistence that he'd see them again every few months because, according to Jaune, that was still too long a time to not see his family. That, and the fact that his mother did not want him to go to a school for… hunters, was it?

Besides, he was having fun right here at home, and he was doing what he would be in the Academy anyways. His sisters were teaching him basic math- addition, division, the works- and were helping him to understand basic sentence structures and grammar usage, as well as the meaning of quotation marks. Meanwhile, the Matri-Arc was busy trying to teach him how the world around them worked, discussing the subject of buying and selling, of Hunters and Grimm, of those knightly ideal her husband's ancestors sought to uphold. Speaking of which, said Arc was Jaune's relaxant from his studies, teaching him how to play normal sports and going on nice father-son fishing trips.

That being said, Jaune was also reintroduced to the marvels of a modern world. Or, more specifically, he was reintroduced to good old-fashioned television, with every other night being a night where the whole family would settle in their massive living room to, say, watch an action flick, see what news was happening that they would discuss afterwards, or see the beauty of the wild whenever Jaune wanted a nature documentary. And, on lazy days, he and a sister or two would just curl up on the couch and watch something cool on the telly.

However, this life does have its moments of boredom. Sure, he had these back on the island when he was doing nothing but recovering from nasty wounds, but at least then he was still doing something. Let it be said that lazy days were not his thing. He had an itchin' to go adventurin' across whatever parts of the nearby forest the Arcs owned. He may not have been allowed to go alone, but that was okay with him, since it meant more family bonding time. The problem, however, was that he didn't want to go on a hike in the forest. No, he wanted to go racing across the treetops, as if he were a navy-blue-skinned, white-and-red-furred monkey, with long claws and the ability to shoot webs, that just witnessed its offspring being harassed by an unlucky hunter.

And, while he did swing through the trees as though he were a yellow and orange fox-tapir-lemur hybrid with lengthy claws and a trunk that launched high-velocity water balls, he was still unsatisfied. The trees in the surrounding area grew far too uniformly; there were no vines to swing from; the branches were thick and ridged, and not as springy as those in Cheeko. It was as if he were trekking through the forests of Kokoto, but even more boring, since the trees on that island were at least three times the height as the ones here, and he didn't feel the adrenaline-pumping action of running away from a vicious, black-scaled, venomous fire-breathing crafty old wolf of a wyvern.

One day, however, he found an alternative while watching something on the television: Free-running in the city. It was beauty to his eyes, a reason he'd ever want to go away from the Arc house and visit the big cities he'd only seen from images and videos. It was fast-paced movement through a concrete jungle, scaling buildings as though they were the trees of the Dundorma Archipelago, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as if it were flight, swinging from poles and jumping from windows hoping not to crash onto a moving steel beast below.

His mother, who was sitting next to him as they watched the show together, noted the sparkle in his eyes as he watched.

"What is it, Jaune? You seem to be very interested in the free-running those men are doing."

"W-well, mo-m, that-t lo-oks very-ry f-fun. L-like being i-in the forest-t-t, but more-r f-f-fun." Isabelle Arc began to feel a small amount of apprehension, since her son was interested in doing something far more dangerous than what he normally does in the Arc Woods. Sure, he managed to survive alone on an island- no, wait, archipelago- for years on end, and he has Aura, but she's a mother, and as such she will worry.

"Fun it… may be, but dangerous it is." Absentmindedly, Jaune began to nod slowly. "I mean, look at how high they are off the ground, jumping willy-nilly all over the place." Jaune's nodding sped up. "Look at how fast they are! One misstep from that height, and you could seriously break a bone… OH MY GOD JAUNE ARE YOU HAVING A SEIZURE?" By this point, the blonde teen was basically hopping up and down because of head movements alone, so much so that Isabelle began to panic like no tomorrow. Stopping himself from shaking any further, Jaune made to console his mom.

"I-I-I'm not having-ng a s-sei-seizure."

"Whew, thank goodness…"

"It's just, I-I-I want more than a s-still life. I-I would like s-s-omething... n-new."

"Oh, Jaune… I guess you're at that age already."

"I w-w-want free-ee running." At that point, Isabelle Arc felt something around her crack. Looking at her hands, it was apparently the marble table they had next to the couch. Taking a few deep breaths, his mother thought of some things that could calm her down. After all, she didn't want to explode in disbelief at what her dear son had wanted to do for 'fun'. At that moment, she came up with an idea that she thought would dissuade her son from partaking in something like that: getting the sisters.

"Well, let's see if we can't have this discussion with the rest of the family." With that, she took out a small handbell, and rang it, catching the attention of the Arc sisters, who were either reading, playing videogames, training, having tea with their stuffed plushies, drinking booze, making a cake, or cuddling with a Jaune body-pillow. Jean-Pâle Arc came in all sweaty, Celeste had her gaming headset still on, Madeline was covered in icing, Rouge smelled like wine, Chartreuse like tea, Violet like paper, and Ambré came in with ruffled hair and a line of drool next to her mouth.

"Yes, mom?" They all answered at the same time, curious as to the reasoning behind the summons.

"Well, wait a second. Where's your father?" Suddenly, she felt a pair of big, brawny arms lift her into the air.

"Heeeere's Jacques!" After having a bit of fun messing with his wife, Jacques Arc put her down and placed his hands on his hips. "So, honey, why call a family meeting?"

"Well, Jacques, I am a little concerned about something that Jaune wants to do, and I think it would be beneficial if I were to hear your thoughts on the manner, too."

"Alright. So, my son, what's on your mind?"

"F-free running."

"… That's it?" He turned to look at his wife, slightly incredulous. "That's what all the fuss is about? A simple romp through the concrete jungle?" Isabelle's eye began to twitch.

"Honey, if I don't know any better, it sounds as if you don't find this an issue."

"… I don't?" At this point, all of Jaune's sisters took ten steps backwards and away from what was going to happen next.

"YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR SON FLIPPING AND LEAPING FROM BUILDING TO BUILDING?"

"H-honey, I never said that…"

"YOU IMPLIED IT! WHAT IF OUR POOR BOY SLIPS AND FALLS INTO TRAFFIC? WHAT IF HE JUMPS TOO SOON AND BREAKS HIS HEAD BY COLLIDING WITH A BUILDING? WHAT IF HE GETS MUGGED?"

"I seriously doubt that could happen."

"MURPHY'S LAW, JAUCQUES! MURPHY'S LAW!"

"Well, Murphy's Law never occurred when he was basically doing the same thing in the forest." A dark aura surrounded his mom.

"You allowed my son to do something like free running in the Arc Woods? WHERE HE COULD FALL FROM THE BRANCHES ONTO SHARP ROCKS, SUFFER BRAIN DAMAGE FROM A TREE, OR GET AATTACKED BY GRIMM?" Grabbing her younger sibling, Ambré Arc, while enjoying the feeling of holding him close, hastily covered his eyes, censoring the brutal beating mom gave dad. The only thing Jaune noticed was breaking pottery, hellish roaring, and girlish screaming.

When Ambré removed her hands, all Jaune saw that was left of dad was a what looked like a pile of ******* that was ****** and was *******, ****** like ******* and ********. Breathing heavily, Isabelle turned to face her son.

"Well, son, I'm sorry that you had to see that mess,"

 _I've seen worse after a Congalala decides to use the bathroom…_

"But I must insist that you stay here. At home. Where you won't have to get yourself hurt ever again."

* * *

As he watched the moon go by from his windowsill, Jaune breathed out a small sigh. He really wanted to go out, hit the city with his family, have some fun, all the works. However, his mother's reluctance to do so derailed those plans, and now he was sitting bored at his window, having been unable to sleep.

That last one was probably caused by Madeline's impossibly sweet cake that she baked, but regardless, he was doing nothing but looking at Remnant's shattered lunar orb, entertaining his own thoughts until he got sleepy enough.

With the creaking of floorboards and the squeaking of a door being opened, Jaune could feel one of his older sisters walk into the room. Judging by the sound of staggering steps and the odour of North-Eastern Atlesian vodka, it was Rouge.

"H- *hic* Hey, lil' bruh?" She drunkenly waltzed over to her little bro, and slung her arms around his neck. "Washup?"

"… Th-th-thinking." She grunted in understanding. Taking out a large flask, she drank it. Judging from the smell, it was more alcohol. Emptying its contents, she took another flask and drank it.

"Hoo boy, I needed that. I can't talk straight if I'm sober, and I need to talk straight for this little situation. So, you've been thinking about what mom said?" He gave her a small nod. "Yeah, I feel ya. As a mother, she's always been concerned about us; but after you, y'know, disappeared, she became very concerned. We were only allowed to leave Arc Manor on the first day of every month, and we could only have home tutors. The only time we could go out and have fun was when each of us turned eighteen."

"W-w-why something-ing like that-t-t?"

"Think of it like this: On those islands, you've seen a few animals care for their young, right? Raising them into adults, but caring for them and protecting them until they were older, right?"

"Y-y-eah…" _Never looking for Rathian and Rathalos nests in the spring ever again…_

"It's like that, but mom's probably even more watchful. The only reason she even let us go to the mall after you came back was because she was still going through a celebratory high; Now that she came down from it, she's focusing all of the motherly possessiveness she had for the seven of us onto you, her only son that she lost for seven years." Jokingly, she jabbed him in the shoulder. "Sucks to be you."

"I-I-I don't… mind-d-d it. I wan-nt to stay w-w-with the fam-m-ily. But," He slammed his fists against the windowsill making a small crack in the wood. "I like a-a-adventure!" With a sly smile, Rouge tightened her hold on her brother.

"Well, Jaune, I think I have something that's right up your alley."

* * *

"Well, he's definitely an Arc," A groaning Ambré complained to her sisters and brother. Earlier they, while the parents were asleep, snuck out on an airship into the city of Vale. After landing on top of a roof, she had to comfort Jaune's motion sickness (she liked placing her hand on his backside) while dealing with her own. She glared at a giggling Chartreuse, the only Arc amongst their generation that doesn't have motion sickness (when sober) and, as such, the only pilot.

"Yup, yup, for sure!"

"You aren't part of this conversation, Char!" Using the power of two different Auras to deal with her sickness, Jean-Pâle Arc was the first of the siblings to recover, followed by Rouge, Violet, Celeste, Madeline, Ambré, and finally Jaune. After taking the time to heal themselves, each one of them started to stretch in their color-coded tracksuits: Rouge in red, Jean-Pâle in white, Violet in purple, Celeste in blue, Chartreuse in green, Madeline in orange, Ambré in yellow, and Jaune in… actually, he wasn't wearing a tracksuit, as he was dressed in yellow basketball shorts and a white sleeveless shirt with an oddly low neckline that was probably not Ambré's suggestion.

"Hey, guys, Jean suggests that we should have ourselves a race."

"A race, huh? Alright, I'm game. Someone has to hold my whiskey, though." Everyone else nodded in agreement. Instructing them to take a runner's stance, Rouge started to countdown from three. "3… 2… 1… GO!" And like rockets, they took off.

To everyone else, it was a nice bit of adrenaline as they soared over busy city streets. But to Jaune, it was basically heaven. It was like he was being chased down by a freaking Tigrex! Sure, getting chased by that tiger-dragon thing on caffeine and 10 kilos of sugar was terrifying, but it was a thrill that he had grown used to and enjoyed; it wasn't just that land-based comet, though. Everything in those islands gave him a sense of excitement and wonder, a feeling that he felt now as he vaulted over a chimney.

It was a thrill, part of his old daily routine. And he's doing it with his family, with his seven (eight?) sisters, each vying to be ahead of the pack. He could see the enjoyment on their faces: their wide smiles, the shine in their eyes and their Aura.

Having felt a pair of eyes watching her intently, Ambré Arc turned her head back slightly only to get an amazing sight. It was Jaune, flipping in the air and spinning past her. More accurately, it was his face. Teeth bared with the corners of his mouth reaching his eyes, it was like a child on Christmas day. It was a sight that made Ambré's heart race even more.

"Oh, don't think you can get ahead of me, Jaune! C'mon, try and catch up!"

"HA! HA! I-I'LL W-WIN THIS R-RACE!"

As people passed through below, they swore that they saw an ever-growing rainbow of color, flying and whooping gleefully overhead.

* * *

Jaune collapsed into his bed at home, rather tired after running from the middle of the night until… uh… well, the clock on his bedside table had a number three on it, and had the number twelve on it when he left… twelve minus three is… what was it again?

Well, whatever. He had run from when it was twelve to when it was three, and by golly did he have a good time with it. And judging from the looks on his sisters when they filed back into the airship, they did too.

Closing his eyes, Jaune let sleep take hold. Entering the dreamworld, he imagined himself in a greyscale landscape, towers of glass rising out of a forest. As he stood atop one, he looked into his reflection from another tower. He shone a bright white and engulfed by flaming yellow. Hearing laughter behind him, he saw his sisters, a mix of white and their own rainbow of colours. Each one giggled, and started to race from rooftop to rooftop. Not one to be left behind, Jaune joined them, painting the grey skies with lines of vibrant colour and turning the colourless tree leaves down below into a beautiful sea of roses...

* * *

 **A/N: Whatever rants and grievances you have, leave it in the reviews. Bye!**


	22. Gothic Rose obtained

**A/N: Hello everybody! It's good to see the positive reaction to this worthwhile piece of territorial dung after the hiatus. And the good reviews, too!**

 **Ddragon21: Well, I did include a short snippet on rose petals last chapter, at the very end. Foreshadowing!... I just spoiled this chapter's theme... SON OF A FUUU-**

 **freddy. lane. 1: Family's good and all, but we need to get on with the story, and I feel that I've had ALMOST enough fun with them for now. They'll pop up sporadically, but in the end they're side characters.**

 **Uchiha Rai: Arigato, Uchiha Senp-Rai! Is that enough cringey weaboo for you?**

 **Wandering Tales: No quest is over until you hear that sweet-sounding jingle of victory. And sad to say, things are still a bit rough concerning scheduling. But I'll manage.**

 **vesperon: No dignity. Yes, that's a god-forsaken JoJo reference.**

 **SnapDragon21: No summer yet, still spring here.**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

Jaune felt elated as he sat with his sisters, all of them panting and sweaty from their run. They were either kneeling, lying down, or collapsed on top of a concrete tower, overlook a landscape dotted with neon lights and a cacophony of beeping horns and noisy chit-chat. Their only witnesses were the fragments of Remnant's moon. They rested there, waiting for their stamina to fill up again before streaking through the city's skyline. Once again, they were free running.

Their first rooftop romp some time ago had been stuck on their minds, and so they did it again.

And again.

And again.

It had evolved into something they did every other night. Under the cover of darkness, they would dress up in tracksuits (or a sleeveless shirt and gym shorts for Jaune), fly their bullhead into the city, land hidden from view atop a skyscraper, and then they would paint the night skies with a shining rainbow. Each race brought the adrenaline rush Jaune so desired, while also strengthening his bonds with the girls. Here, in this urban playground, they were like kids… again… running, jumping, playing a game of tag every now and then.

Aside from the fun, Jaune learned more about Vale than through any screen or hologram. He was able to see for himself every nook and cranny, every space to grab and ledge to jump from. His abilities in mental mapping, built upon and strengthened by his need to survive Dundorma's various climates, gave him exactly that- an accurate mental map of Vale… most of it. Not only was he able to point out most streets, rooftops, and back alleys, he also learned about certain stores and shop, towers and skyscrapers, clubs and casinos and arcades, the whole shebang. Things he thought he'd only see in movies, he got to view with real life. With his sister's permission, the eight of them were even able to enter at some of those places. So far, his list included Cocoa's Boutique, DiGioGio's Pizzeria, Ougon no Koraru Mistralian Buffet, Segatendo's Arcade, and a little shop called "From Dust to Dawn". Speaking of which…

"Hey, little bro?"

"Y-yeah?"

"We're all too tired, and it looks like you have energy to spare. D'ya think you can go and get us something to drink from 'From Dust to Dawn'?" Rouge got slapped rather unenthusiastically by a red-faced Ambré Arc.

"Hey, Rouge, don't treat Jaune like an errand boy. You shouldn't let him go without us, especially since it's night."

"W-well, I-I-I know-ow where to go-o-o. I can-n st-stick to the r-r-roofs." That still didn't stop his older sister from worrying about him.

"Jaaaauuune, what if you get in trouble? A lot of bad guys like to meet on top of buildings, you know."

"B-But so do hero-o-oes of j-j-justi-ce like Ma-Ma-Masked Musc-le." Jean-Pâle scoffed at this.

"Who's letting him watch that?" An exhausted Violet raised her hand.

"Read, not watch. And besides, what harm can be done? We're near Uptown Vale. Almost nothing in Uptown Vale."

"Murphy's Law!" Rouge scoffed at her sister.

"Do you want to sound like mom? Because you do right now." Despite her indignancy at these words, Ambré Arc closed her trap. She didn't want to sound like their mother in front of Jaune. As much as he loved her, her overprotectiveness wasn't exactly something he wanted. And, unfortunately for Jaune, it seemed to be what she exuded the most: an overprotective aura, trying to wrap around him like a Nerscylla's web. Suffocating, and almost stepping all over what he was, like a Rathian pinning him down.

Speaking of the fiery green wyvern, he was sure that the tension between Rouge and Ambré would result in a fight between the two. Sure, it probably won't be as serious as any sparring match he had with them, but he did not want to be in the middle of two angry females. That's too much for him.

"I-I-I-I'll go now."

"Yeah, Jaune. You do that." Making a quick exit, he bounded from building to building, leaping off of ledges and spiraling around flagpoles. He could have an easier time with just walking on street level, but what was the point? It's always good to keep up one's skills- you wouldn't know when you had to use them again. And so, Jaune leapt and swung all the way until he landed at 42217 Wok Street: "From Dust to Dawn". Brushing off the dust and metal particles that clung to his palms, Jaune was about to grasp the handle when he paused.

Something was off. The streets around him, even at this time, were normally filled with the chatter of people and the sounds of footsteps. But now, they were empty, devoid of life… unless that tumbleweed over there counted as life. Fearing that something bad happened within the shop, he put his ear close to the simple wooden door- and the window next to his head exploded outwards, with a force that was strong and powerful.

Looking at what burst forth, he saw an unconscious man. He had an average height and build, with an unremarkable face obscured by dark red sunglasses. He wore a black fedora and a matching suit, and was wielding a simple red blade. He inspected it: it was crafted without any heart or soul, and was weak and dull. A second window broke, and Jaune looked to see who it was this time.

It was a girl, a young girl near his age. Not like Violet or Ambré, but more akin to some of his cousins, the ones that were only slightly younger than him if he recalled. When she landed on the pavement, Jaune saw that she was short, shorter than him by about one head. Her sleek, short black hair ended with crimson highlights. Having black be the main color, with the fringes being a deep vermillion, was also a characteristic shared by her clothing; Her stockings had a red-black-red gradient from top to bottom, and her combat skirt, combat boots, and long-sleeved blouse had really bright red ends to their chiefly black everything. The only things that escaped this colour arrangement was the silver rose and… small box-thing on her belt, and the long, flowing, red riding hood behind her.

As he watched, she took out what looked like a small, black-and-red briefcase that slowly started to unfold. It first became a… what was it called again? A rifle? Well, afterwards it slowly morphed from its rifle form into a giant, dark and crimson scythe, with a shining metallic blade that glistened in the moonlight. She turned around, swinging her scythe around her playfully, and he saw her face. Her face with a small, but smug and confident, smile that accompanied her bright silver eyes.

He looked at her current adversary. It was a small group of men, with all but one of them resembling the guy down on the floor. The other one stood out like a candle's light in a dark room, what with his extremely extravagant white suit that matched his cane, and the bright orange feather he had on his bowler hat that covered a similarly covered, neatly combed hairdo. A cigar he had in his mouth dropped when he saw what the mysterious girl did with the man on the ground.

"… Okay." He turned to the other men in black behind him. "Get her!" As they rushed at her, with their own blades and handguns drawn, Jaune made a quick decision. Grabbing the crimson blade from the pavement, Jaune intercepted a guy with a gun drawn, hitting the goon in the face with the sword's hilt. Turning it around so that he could easily use the blunt side of the oversized dagger, he rapped it against the man's knuckles, disarming him. Grabbing the ranged weapon, he used it like a club, smacking the goon's face down onto the pavement.

"Hey!" Jaune looked at his peer, who was walking up beside him, scythe held behind her back. "I don't know who you are, but thanks for the assist!"

"S-s-sure."

"Oh great, another teenage 'hero' has arrived on the scene. How convenient." The boss, as it were, received silence and a lack of movement in response. "Hey, idiots!" He barked at his men. "I told you to get them!"

"Actually, bahs, youse told us to get her, not them."

"Go already!" The rest of the men resumed their assault, but also involving Jaune this time. However, a numerical advantage meant jack when facing off against a man used to fighting packs of vicious raptors, boars, monkeys of all things, and okay-sized enemy crabs. With this knowledge, Jaune easily blocked each blow with the cleaver and pistol he temporarily apprehended, and returned their attacks in kind. Hitting them all with a wild flurry of melee strikes, he then slingshot past them, spinning like a tornado as he did. Deciding to keep the weapons he had, either for upgrading his arsenal or as models for something new, he twirled them around and then put them in his pockets as the men behind him fell unconscious.

Looking at his combat partner, he saw that she had already dispatched her share of goonage, and had just sent one sprawling, landing at the lead criminal's feet. Taking a cigar that he had already lit during the teen's fight, he inhaled deeply. Slowly exhaling the smoke, he tapped the ashes from the cigar onto the grunt's face with a contemptuous look on his face.

"Don't worry, pal. You did. A GREAT job! Truly, your useless carcass was worth every cent." With a twirl of his cane, he stepped closer to the two youths in front of him, arms wide open and a smug, sarcastic, smile on his face. "Good job, kiddos! You managed to knock all of my men- pardon me, I don't want to associate myself too much with these ragdolls. Ahem, you managed to knock all of the men I borrowed from Junior into unconsciousness. Jolly good. I guess this means you'll want to take me to jail too, huh? Sorry, but," He removed the cigar from his mouth and crushed it with his cane, before he pointed the end of said cane at the two teens. The very tip of it flipped open, revealing a scope and a gun barrel. "This is where we part ways. Me from you, and you from your bodies."

At this, he fired an explosive flare at the two of them. Thinking quickly, Jaune reinforced one of the goons' fedoras with Aura before he threw it in the direction of the flare, detonating it early. Because of the expansive amount of smoke that appeared afterwards, the two teens had some difficulty in locating the thief. But Jaune had enough of this sort of thing when he kept on consistently being blinded by those stupid Flogulls and their stupid Dundorma flower fields. Those knock-off hummingbirds would consistently blind him, to the point where could now fight without sight. And his instincts told him what he needed to know: the thief had sped past them and was currently climbing a metal ladder, presumably to make a rooftop escape.

"H-h-h-he's going up-p-p a bui-il-ding!"

"Wait, really? Where?"

"B-b-behind us." Not waiting for his peer, he dashed out of the smoke in the direction he felt the criminal go past him. He didn't see him on anything, meaning he was already on a rooftop. But soon, Jaune would join him.

Spotting a dumpster of suitable size, Jaune put his skills to work. Running up to it, he used it as a springboard, vaulting up a brick wall. Kicking off it, he ran across another wall before grabbing a small flagpole. Spinning with it, he used his centrifugal force, alongside the natural springiness of the pole and some Aura, to launch himself onto the top of the building. At the same time, the other teenager somehow boosted herself up onto the roof using her weapon.

They had landed on both sides of the bad guy, trapping him between two adolescents that are very willing to fight him in the name of justice. Instead of conveying concern, he expressed exasperation at their actions.

"How doggedly persistent. It's like you mutts won't stop yanking on the proverbial chain." As he spoke, the air around them started to shift. As the dust started to pick up, the loud whir of an engine could be heard. Looking to the side of the building behind him, Jaune saw a bullhead slowly rise up, with the cargo hold open and ready to accept passengers. Using the opportunity, the thief sucker punched him to the back of his head, before kicking him back towards the girl. She crouched down, a small bit of worry on her face.

"Hey, you ok?"

"F-f-f-fine." Getting up, he saw the bad guy, already inside of the vehicle, about to escape. With a sadistic smile on his face, he took out a red crystal before throwing it at their feet. Cocking his cane-gun, he shot a flare at the shard, causing a large explosion.

"WOO-HOO! Ha ha, two cadavers, served well done!" As he peered into the smoke, his elation turned to worry as he saw that not only had Jaune and the girl survived, but there was a new player on the field. It was a woman wearing glasses with a curvy figure and messy blonde hair tied into a bun. She wore a slightly revealing, white top with some… poofy gauntlets. She had a black skirt that reached her ribcage and upper thighs over a pair of black stockings and thigh high boots with heels. Her most obvious accessory was her cape with tattered ends, black on the outside and purple inside.

In one hand, she held a riding crop, one that was currently put in use, having created a purple barrier that shielded the two youths from the blast. Pushing her glasses back up her face, she launched several blasts of violet energy at the airship, shaking it and its occupants around. Quickly, he retreated inside, while someone else took his place. Despite being obscured by shadow, the eyes of the figure shone a bright amber yellow.

The figure's arms lit up a fiery orange, revealing feminine hands that fired a ball of flame at the three. The woman with the riding crop blocked it with another barrier, however the fire had shifted into a state similar to magma, splattering behind the trio. With several waves of the hand, the figure caused the lava around them to glow brightly, before it exploded. The three, with expert reaction time and movement speed, dodged the burst of fire and force, but at the expense of letting the bullhead fly away.

"Lil' bro!" a chorus of seven voices reached Jaune's ears, and he saw his sisters approach him from atop another building. Jean-Pâle stepped forward. "We heard an explosion, and we rushed over! Are you alright?" She looked over at the two figures, and stepped back upon seeing the stern face on the older woman.

"Oh, Jean? Is this the younger brother you mentioned to me in our last conversation? Well then," She turned to face Jaune. "Mr Arc, I would like to have a word with you."

* * *

 **A/N: And now we have a cute little rose. We're on the Beacon-brick road, lads! Just gotta get past the police interrogation room... and Mama Arc...**

 **We're off to see the wizard! That wonderful wizard, Oz!**

 **Please leave me with reviews, or PM me or something. Either way, See ya later!**


	23. A Pitfall Trap

**A/N: Hi!**

 **the Composcreator: I'm pretty sure there's something up Jaune's sleave that can shut her up... maybe... probably**

 **freddy. lane. 1: Eh, he'll fight something for sure. But not now, only later.**

 **POOLWOLV: And hello to you to!**

 **Frank Horrigan: Not even they could withstand the wrath of Mama Arc.**

 **Yurvin: 1) Trying to fix that, although I know my pacing is still crap. 2) What do you mean by suddenly? I never gave any significant insight into their personalities, save for their depression at losing Jaune and when they fought to defend the Arc Manor in the earlier chapters.  
**

 **Guest 1: Ah frick, that's a good idea...**

 **Guest 2: Erm... That's not a 'loss' that I wanna take, but I'll take them anyway...**

 **Guest 3: Don't say that nobody does that unless you have absolute proof, which I am too disinterested in to look up. The human body is a complex thing, and so far I don't think we completely know how it responds to different stimuli, lack of stimuli, or damage.**

 **SnapDragon21: Just take your meds, and you won't have to stay with the men in white.**

 **Guest 4: Annoying, true, but I do have plans for his stuttering, so for the meantime they'll be kept around. Like that one housefly that I never seem to be able to kill.**

 **Well, now that that's done, let's hurry up and read this son of a bitch, why don't we?**

* * *

Jaune walked out of that police interrogation room, thinking heavily about what he would do.

He had just finished having another conversation with the enigmatic headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin. Once more, the man had offered him a spot at his prestigious academy. He had told the Arc boy that he had seen his talent and potential when he fought those robbers, and that it would be a shame if Jaune wasted it all by staying locked up inside his home.

But Jaune was stubborn. At least, until the end of their conversation.

" _So, instead of taking the opportunity to expand your world with new knowledge and ideals, to meet a plethora of new faces and create bonds with them, to hone your skills in both combat and social interactions… you'd rather stay living under your parents' roof, wasting away the best years of your life? Wouldn't you rather want to explore things outside your comfort zone?"_

" _W-w-with all-l-l d-d-d-due re-respect, I-I-I've d-d-done e-enough exploration."_

" _Hmm… Earlier, you asked me if that girl you were with was alright, yes?"_

" _Y-yeah."_

" _I see… if, given the chance, would you like to spend time talking with her?"_

" _Y-y-yeah?"_

" _Alright. Now, what if I told you she would also be going to Beacon Academy?"_

The idea of meeting her again lingered in Jaune's mind, and he left the room with that thought.

Would he accept the man's offer and go to Beacon? Or would he stay with his family in his home?

He kept on mumbling to himself, trying for an answer as he met up with his sisters outside of the police station.

"Hey, bro!"

"H-h-hey…"

"So, what did Ozpin talk to you about? Like, did he try and recruit you again? I mean, look at your face! It's so serious and stuff." They all looked at their brother with curiosity in their eyes.

"Yeah, what're you thinking of right now?" With confusion written all over his face, the male Arc sat down at a nearby bench, head in his hands. He was thinking so hard about what he wanted to do, but every single conclusion he would come to just left him more confused about what to do. Should he stay? Should he go? Is his curiosity enough to face the wrath of his mother?

"I-I… I d-d-don't… I don't, I-I just, I-I j-j-just… I-I'll thi-think a-a-a-about B-Beacon on t-t-the ride h-home…" As he boarded the Bullhead they took from home, his sisters exchanged some worried glances. They didn't know what was going to happen come tomorrow, but they knew one thing, one thought they all voiced out loud.

"Sh*t's going down tomorrow."

* * *

"*Yawn* Good morning, Jaune." As She poured herself some early-morning tea, the Matri-Arc noticed the dark bags under her son's eyes. "Goodness gracious, Jaune! It's as if you hadn't slept a wink last night. Oh, was my poor little boy suffering a nightmare? Did you have too much sugar or caffeine last night? You know eating any of those at night will ruin your health. Maybe we'll have to get a doctor!"

"N-n-no, m-mom, I-I'm f-fine, r-r-r-really-y."

"No, you're not! Were you up all night?"

"A-a-ctu-tu-ally, y-yes…"

"We need to get you to bed, right away!"

"W-w-wait-t, I n-need to talk-k to you!" His mother stopped, and looked at him expectantly.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"W-w-wait… n-need energ-gy." The blonde opened up the fridge, and pulled out a small yellow can. He opened it up and downed the contents, and felt very refreshed. _Nothing but a home-brewed energy drink to stave off sleep, prevent fatigue and boost stamina._ He thought about the conversation they were going to have. _And I need to clear this fatigue. I need to think straight, if I'm ever going to get my point across._

"A-a-alright, I-I th-think I'm r-r-ready."

"Hmm. Take a chair, son." They both took some seats at the opposite ends of their rather big breakfast table.

"S-s-so, m-mom… I… I-I th-thank you, f-for d-d-oing-ng a-all… th-th-this f-for me. But, but, I-I Want m-m-more." His mother started getting a worried look on her face from her son's seriousness and his request.

"Jaune, what do you mean… more?" Jaune closed his eyes in anticipation.

"I… I… I want… to go… to Beacon." He kept his eyes closed for a full minute, but nothing happened. His curiosity having been piqued, the blonde boy slowly opened his eyes to see his mother, looking at him with an emotionless grin and petrified with shock. "O-oh no!" Jaune racked his brain for a way to bring his mother back to reality, before he simply decided on grabbing a small, greyish ball from… somewhere… and ruptured it with a kitchen knife. The result was a high-pitched explosion of noise, which was enough to bring his mother back from shock.

"Oh, my. I'm terribly sorry about that, dear. I just had this awful dream, wherein you asked me if you could go to Beacon." She started chuckling. "Isn't that crazy?"

"U-u-um… I-I did a-a-ask that-t." Jaune swore he could feel the air around them crack.

"Heh heh, what a nice… quaint… joke you made up there, Jaune. After all, there's no way my baby boy would want to leave the Arc manor, right?" She looked at him with hesitancy, expecting him to laugh along and say it was just a bad joke. But he didn't. "Right, Jaune?" Still nothing.

"…No. No way, just no WAY. Jaune, you are NOT going to Beacon!"

"B-b-but, m-mom…"

"No BUTS! You, young man, are staying here in this house where it is safe!"

"B-beacon's s-s-safe."

"No, it's not! The school is constantly besieged by creatures of Grimm and is always being assaulted by people like the White Fang!"

"W-w-w-well, the s-s-students-s c-c-can help k-k-keep-p th-them away.'

"Oh, sure, the power of teamwork and friendship. No, they won't! People are selfish, Jaune. The kids at Beacon won't be there to help you whenever you need it. Instead, they'll try their best to bully you! They'll want to violate your rights, to put you down and make you commit suicide! The girls over there are nothing more than… young prostitutes willing to use whatever charms they have to deceive you and take whatever they want. Not to mention the fact that you still can't talk probably, people are going to use you even worse! That's not counting on your lack of sufficient education in just about everything, from school to social contact."

"Th-th-that seem-m-ms a bit-t-t m-much…"

"Besides, what does beacon have that we can't provide you here at home? If you need education, we can get you a tutor! Want friends? We can pay people, set up play dates with reputable folk. We can even set you up with a nice girl if you want. Want a place to exercise the way you want? We can contract people to make something like that! Seriously, what does Beacon have that we can't provide you?"

"Um… F-f-freedom to e-explore wherever-r-r-r? T-t-to live l-l-like e-e-everyone else?"

"Freedom to die like everyone else, you mean."

"M-mom, the s-s-seven y-years…"

"The seven years? The seven YEARS? Are you actually kidding me right now, Jaune? Do you know, do you REALIZE exactly how those seven years without my baby boy affected me? No one knew if you were alive or not, and eventually we had to call you Dead!" She started sobbing. "And then you came back, everyone was ecstatic, I thought things were going to be fine. Then you started talking about the island, and things have gotten crazy in Remnant because of the White Fang… I don't want another heart attack from your near stories about cheating death, okay?" As the tears continued streaming down her face, her breathing became ragged and filled with hiccups. Jaune tried to put his arms around her.

"M-mom…" She tenderly pushed him away from her.

"I'm sorry, Jaune… mommy needs a little alone time right now…" Understanding this, Jaune grabbed his breakfast and headed for his room.

* * *

"Oh, hey there bro!" As she exited the training hall, Rouge Arc met with her brother, who was walking right past the hall. He greeted her, and she could feel something off about him. He generally wasn't emotive, but this was a real lack of emotion here, it was. There was definitely something bothering him. Taking a swig from a flask of Atlesian Vodka, she decided to pry into his business. "Well, you don't look so swell. What happened? When did it happen? If there was a 'who' involved, who was that 'who'?"

"I-I t-t-told m-mom I want-t-ted to go t-to Beac-con." She gave him a stare that reminded Jaune of a dead Knife Mackerel. She looked at the bottle in her hand.

"Have I finally drunk too much this time? Am I actually as hammered as a nail?"

"N-no, you're f-f-f-fine." _If only I knew why mom is REALLY like this… overprotectiveness doesn't go this far, right? Wait a minute; I could ask Rouge about mom!_ "U-u-um, R-Rouge?"

"Yeah?"

"W-why is-s m-mom so-o-o…" He didn't have to finish his sentence; Rouge practically read his mind.

"I knew this would come. Alright Jaune, I'll tell you something about the White Fang's raid on the Manor several years back, okay?" Thinking of what to say, she took a big swig of her drink.

"Everything was burning. Chartreuse and I were trying our damn best, holding off goons and all. Mom was right there with us, giving us pointers and tips but not trying to control us as we battled; she was different back then. But, for a moment, our backs were to each other, I heard a loud crack, and next thing I know mom was slumped over my shoulder, bleeding heavily. The two of us fought hard to get her out of there and two safety, but it was a long fight. By the time we were able to get to a medic, mom was one foot in the grave. I thought that, maybe we had lost her.

But we didn't. Her health recovered, and soon we were a nice little family again. Well, not really. But after she recovered, mom was different. She became the woman you saw today; very possessive, very adamant about their child's safety that they would cut them off from society as much as possible just to preserve them. We never exactly knew why, but I think I know the reason. This one day, while she was really angry, her head started bleeding from that old wound, even thought it had already healed by then.

That blow to the head… that was the reason why her view of us, her children, changed. Because someone knocked one of her screws loose, she became willing to screwing our chances at simply leaving the house."

"C-couldn't we j-j-just… f-fix h-her? W-with surgery?" His sister tch'ed.

"As if she would let us… Every Arc has some sort of stupid thing they have pride over, and mom's makes her hate having to go to any sort of doctor or shrink. We only got away with bandaging her up by telling her that her Aura was able to heal her, and that she had already been wearing the bandages because we were having a costume party… that was a lie, by the way."

"I-I-I-I get it…" _So basically, she's unstable…_ He thought to himself. Back on the island, creatures that moved erratically, acted unstable, were very hard to put down. Now, that was a far-stretched analogy, but Jaune knew what that entailed. The best way to deal with something like that… was to simply run away. _No use trying to argue with her if her head's messed up. No use feeling like a Basarios in a pitfall. Sorry mom, but I might as well try and escape. But how?_

As he thought to himself, he spotted something. It was a newspaper, sitting on top of a small table in the hallway. And on that newspaper, there was a mark. It looked dog-like, with three scratches over it. Picking up the paper, Jaune read a single phrase, the only phrase his eyes zoomed in on: The White Fang, a terrorist organization. The newspaper having piqued his interest, he flipped through it as it showed him the many ways that group left their mark at crime scenes: graffiti, cards, their insignia carved onto something.

As he looked at it, he also noted an advertisement for spray-on paint, available in a variety of colours. The gears in his mind turned, and he looked to his older sibling.

"R-R-Rouge? I-I n-need you a-and ou-our sis-s-ters to h-help me."

* * *

"Perfect! A true work of art!" Having had an interest in technology, Celeste Arc eventually grew to also become a hardcore gamer. One of the things she took into consideration before she called a game good, bad, or meh was the aesthetics, the art style of the game. This, in junction with Mandarine Arc's love for cooking and making beautiful pastries and cakes made them the more artfully talented Arcs.

So spray-painting an image of a red wolf with three scratch-marks over it on the wall of the Arc Arena, after making it look messy of course, was easy. "Of course it was easy. Who do you think you're writing about?" She said, with a very haughty air.

Meanwhile, in the Arc Hangers, Jaune just finished prying off a very teary-eyed Ambré off of him. He heard someone patting metal, and he turned to see Jean-Pâle giving him a thumbs-up.

"All the weapons, materials, and items you wanted were successfully loaded into the Bullhead!" He thanked her, and she held his hands in hers. "Promise us, all of us, you'll be safe in Beacon, okay?"

"I… Promise…" They hugged, and waving goodbye at his sisters he boarded the aircraft. Taking his seat and strapping himself, he looked over at the pilot, Chartreuse Arc.

"Final checks are done, everyone's ready, right Jaune?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then, Beacon! HERE WE GO!" And they soared off into the night.

* * *

 **A/N: Had fun reading that chapter? I didn't have fun writing that chapter. I think it's crappy. What do y'all think? Leave your thoughts as reviews, or if you want PM me.**

 **See ya later!**


	24. Spectre's Whim

**A/N: Hi guys! Here with another mediocre chapter for y'all to read.**

 **Dragil the alchemist: oh gawrsh! Yer makin' me blush! A-hyuk!**

 **yomunot: Thankee, kind sir, for thou complimentary words.**

 **freddy. lane. 1: No, it was not. The absolute worst thing he could do... there will be an explanation for why later on, though**

 **daferrad: Muchos gracias señor!**

 **SnapDragon21: well, get ready to be fillered up! AHAHA bad puns.**

* * *

GONG! GONG! GONG!

"Wh-whw-wha, huh?" Waking up from his slumber, Jaune Arc looked around. His bacl was against the bark of a tree, one leg was resting atop a brown tree branch and the other leg was dangling in the air. Wondering what the heck woke him up from his sleep in Vale's famous Midpoint Park, he looked around, and completely missed the rustling leaves, the bronze gong, and the pale-white hair that accompanied it.

Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to check that everything was where it should be. He checked the light shoulder pads he wore, he looked for his sneakers, his jeans and kneepads, his plain, black hoodie, elbowpads and gloves; everything was there.

He then tried to recall what happened, and why he was asleep in a tree.

* * *

"I'm pleased you decided to join us here at Beacon, Jaune Arc." He offered his hand to the teen, and Jaune tentatively took it and shook it. "I believe that you could do many great things here at Beacon. It's wonderful that your parents have changed their minds, yes?"

"Y-y-yeah." Because of everything that's happened to him in the past, and because of what he feared might come in the future, Ozpin made it a habit to read people's souls. Granted, it made him look a little creepy since he has to stare right into people's eyes, but it has proven itself a valuable skill to have. In this particular usage of it, he noted a small amount of uncertainty and dishonesty in Jaune's soul.

 _ **Did he not inform his parents? Is he one of the many… strays that have come to my academy's doorsteps? Well, I'll give him a minor punishment for running away from his family soon enough.**_ He turned around, and gestured for the teen to follow him around. "Beacon is an expansive location, but for one such as yourself I believe we should tour around the places you'll most likely be in."

Walking down a hallway, they stopped in front of two large, mahogany doors. Opening them, Ozpin presented to Jaune a very large library, stacked with columns upon columns and rows upon rows of books. Many tables and chairs were scattered around, and Jaune could see several computer terminals, just like the ones Celeste had at home. There were also several important-looking desks, with a strangely familiar violet-haired woman in glasses manning one. "This is our library, Beacon's one-stop-shop for all your literary needs, ranging from textbooks to novels, and for you Jaune comic and children's books." The blonde turned to the Headmaster.

"H-how-"

"Now, come along, we need to continue our tour. Next stop, the mess hall." As they let the confines of the library, They passed by a rather busty, yellow-haired janitor with glasses and a… mustache? Well, they passed by her, and Jaune failed to notice her looking at that violet-haired librarian. He also failed to notice the two of them giving each other a thumbs-up.

* * *

"… Now, of course, those facilities are more generalized, and made for widespread student use," They had continued the tour, and boy was there a lot of walking and monotonous talking involved. Seriously, Jaune thought it was enough for an entire Loosebumps chapter! And Ozpin just droned on and on and on… it was worse than dealing with a Gigginox's constant screaming! Stupid giant poisonous leeches…

"But every now and then we receive students that have certain needs. These range from interpreters to needing king sized beds, all of which Beacon provides free of charge. And, with a simple housing problem such as yours, we easily accommodated it." They walked up to another pair of mahogany doors, this time with a keypad next to it. Punching in a few numbers, the doors wung open, allowing Jaune to see the inside.

It smelled a bit dank, a bit musty, with a few cobwebs here and there. But it was also large and spacious, around the same size of the Arc Airship he frequently snuck out in. And that thing was big! Like, the size of a single-story home! Like all the ones in his Jason Rabbit books, except slightly bigger. And apparently, all this space was his! Jaune let out a 'woah.'

"All this space is for you to store your weapons and the… materials you brought with you to Beacon. As you can probably tell, this storage area is near the workshops, allowing you easy access to facilities you could use to upgrade or add to your impressive arsenal. And, if you ever need more space, Beacon will provide it free of charge." Looking around the room himself, Ozpin saw a small amount of orange-ish sunlight hitting the wall. Looking at the source, he could see that the day was slowly giving way to dusk and twilight. Wondering what the headmaster was looking at, Jaune could also see that the day was ending.

"I-i-it's g-getting la-late. O-Ozpin, d-d-don't I hav-ve a dorm-m?" Ozpin's eyes sparkled.

 _ **Punishment time.**_ "Actually, Jaune, until the first day of orientation, which is tomorrow, no student is allowed to stay in school by the time the sun sets. You'll have to find lodging elsewhere, I'm afraid." Instead of an indignant reaction, Ozpin received a simple, emotionless 'okay'. _**Oh, right, he's that kind of person.**_ "Well, Jaune, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He waved goodbye to the youngerperson, and watched him until he turned into a corner, moving out of Ozpin's sight. It wasn't until a good five minutes later that Ozpin remembered something.

"Oh my, I forgot to tell him to be at Beacon by nine o'clock for orientation. Oh, well." He walked down the hall, while winking at a yellow-haired janitor he passed by that somewhat looked like Jaune. As he did, he mumbled to himself something about guardian angels.

* * *

 _But he didn't know that I heard his 9:00 remark,_ Jaune told himself, currently walking in a random direction. _After that, I got food at a club that was half-destroyed, and then I started looking for a place to sleep and decided on the tree…_

"Wai-wai-wait! Th-th-the time!" Looking around frantically for a large clock or something, Jaune felt something conk the back of his head. Wondering what the hell it was, he looked and saw that someone had thrown a digital alarm clock at him, and had ran away quickly. Still, it was a lucky break for him, since the clock was still functional and read 7:30 a.m.

But that didn't mean he could dawdle.

Vaulting up a wall, Jaune summoned all his stamina to jump from roof to roof, hoping to get there before orientation started.

 _If I get late, who knows what might happen to me!_ 30 minutes had passed, and Jaune had already crossed half the city, and he knew he was nearing Beacon. But as he got close, he realized something important about the academy: It was located on top of a cliff. Once the rock face was in sight, he skidded to a halt. _There is no way I'll be able to climb this this in time! Maybe if I had an extra 15 minutes, but I only have an hour left!_

He was tearing his hair out thinking of a way to get to school on time when he saw an idea pass by. A giant, metallic, flying idea. _I'll just ride in a Bullhead, easy enough._ Forgetting about his motion sickness, Jaune hopped around, looking for the nearest airdock so that he could hitch a ride. He only located it when he heard a loud voice declaring that the last airship headed to Beacon had already left.

 _It's not too late yet!_ Pouring Aura into his legs, Jaune ran across the top of one building before vaulting up onto a small radio tower. Jumping off from there, he landed onto a large pole, bending it and his knees. The force building up was then released, springing him up into the air and towards one of several Bullheads flying toward Beacon. With ease, he landed atop one of them.

All he had to do now was enjoy the ride- feeling the wind rush through his hair, take in the fresh air many meteres above ground, try and not fall off because of motion-sickness induced nausea…

 _I should have climbed._

* * *

When the Bullhead finally landed, the first thing Jaune did was roll off the metal and onto the pavement. Luckily, by the time he landed almost everyone had rushed off, and those that lingered behind were careful and stepped over him. This gave him time to enjoy that nice, cool, solid stone. That is, until somebody wasn't paying attention and tripped over him, hitting him in the face with a rather dense suitcase.

"O-oof!"

"Ah!" Rubbing his jaw from the impact with the package, he looked to the side to see the brightest back he'd ever seen. Seriously, the coat the person was wearing was so very white, and it, alongside the silvery snowflake-emblem on the back, blinded him. But he still heard the voice it was connected to. "What are you _doing_?"

When he felt the light shine away, he looked at the person.

It was a girl. Not the one he met in Vale, but someone else entirely. While the gothic-looking one had a child-like charm about her, this one was elegant, royal, and graceful. It wasn't just the glittery white jacket and dress, nor the luxury, silvery, glittery pendants, jewelry and tiara. The skin was as white as mountain snow, the eyes were as pale-blue as tundra ice, and the ponytailed silver hair shone brighter than a Zinogre in the dark.

But for all the beauty she had, for all the fairness in the land, her personality stunk.

"For the then thousandth time, what the HELL are you doing on the floor? Why the HELL did you have to trip me? Don't you know that's dangerous? What if I tripped and fell and all my precious cargo were to be ruined? Do you even know who you're talking to?"

And her voice was really, really, annoying.

"L-L-let me be-e-e."

"Oh, so NOW you wanna speak up. Since you want to talk back, why don't you start with an explanation. Seriously, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"M-My mo-motion sickness is le-le-less ann-annoying than you…"

"WHAT? Why I ought to…" CRASH! Weiss gasped. "My luggage! Some idiotic little girl just fell on top of it!" She turned to the blonde on the floor. "I'll deal with you later." She left him there, and he just lay there, unmoving, except for his lungs, heart, and the neurons in his brain.

As the white girl started to reprimand whoever it was that took her attention, Jaune felt something resonate within him, pounding at his brain. It was a pitch, a decibel, a frequency of sound that his brain stored as a memory. Deciding to get up off the comfortable ground, Jaune took a gander, a small glance in the white girl's direction.

It was the girl. No, not the annoying one. It was the one he saw at Vale, the mystery, the enigma, the thing that compelled him to come to Beacon in the first place. The large pools of silver on her face, the dark bangs that framed them, the nice, pale skin, all was there. He raised a hand, his mouth moved, and he tried to call out to her.

Then she sneezed, and an explosion happened. It had enough force to send him flying a ways back, with him tumbling and rolling across the ground before crashing into the doors leading to Beacon's auditorium. Well, not 'into'. More like, a little more than half of him was on one side of the door, a little more than half was on the other side, with a little bit of his middle being the part that was in the door.

He was just there. He was limp and stuck inside the door. He swayed back and forth with the door. He couldn't really get out.

 _Whelp, son of a bitch._

* * *

 **A/N: A shorter chapter, but somewhat enjoyable, right? Right?**

 **Anyway, what sort of trials and tribulations is Jaune going to go through? What's going to happen to him in Beacon? Will some kind soul help him out of the door already? Find out next time after reading this.**

 **Leave a review or PM, and see ya!**


	25. Gathering Hall

**A/N: i fear for this fic. i really do. partly because all i've given so far has been filler and partly because of the unforeseen and unexpected delay I had to go through. oh fuck me**

 **Baron Bolt: potential? pretty sure Monster Hunter has a skill for that**

 **freddy. lane. 1: yup, it was**

 **yomunot: thnx**

 **SnapDragon21: i'm sorry**

 **Qriiz: huh, that's the first time someone gave such a grievance about the mother**

 **huh, i think i forgot something...**

 **oh! here it is!**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

 _No, not this one…_ Placing an impeccably sharp blade into a slot in the wall, Jaune looked at the rest of the arsenal he built up over the years. Well, the portion of it he was able to bring to Beacon, that is. Still, it was enough to cover up the walls of the large and empty space Ozpin had given him, while his treasure trove of materials- slimes, shrooms, herbs, bones, carapaces, ores, etc.- were sectioned off into different piles on the floor.

But those weren't important to Jaune right now. Now, he was gearing up for Beacon Academy's orientation. He'd already chosen a nice pair of shields to strap around his arms, one made of hard Ice Crystals and another made from the tough, yet rubbery, hides of the weirdest monsters he'd ever encountered. He'd taken a sharp, fan-like blade made from the claws of a bewitching bubble-dancer, and his favorite serrated hook, forged from the remains of Crocea Mors and that accursed Seregios. All he needed (err, wanted) now was one of his larger, longer swords to use. But which one? Eventually, he decided on an ancient blade, naturally forged by Remnant from a fossilized wyvern's wings.

Strapping it to his back, and placing his swords in their sheaths around his hips, he strode out of the warehouse into more empty space. He sighed- the only downside to his treasure room was the lack of contact he had with other students. For example, the nice red-haired girl that helped him out of that wall.

* * *

" _Hrrngh! Hrrngh!" Useless, useless, useless, useless, USELESS! He couldn't get out of that damn door! That mighty oaken (or was it mahogany?) foe had him pinned in its vice-like grip. Sand the best part about this entire situation, aside from having been caught in an explosion and feeling splinters stuck on his bum, was that no one, absolutely no one, even bothered to help him, much less look his way._

 _As a matter of fact, a guy with a green Mohawk took the moment to draw graffiti onto Jaune's face._

 _And so he was stuck there, until a pair of blue met a pair of green. Green, bright green orbs stared at him, a minor amount of amusement, annoyance, and sympathy shining at him. They were framed by a delicate face, slightly tanned from the sun, and nicely complimented her lengthy crimson ponytail._

 _Her armor also impressed Jaune. A sparkling bronze, it hugged her curved body from the tip of her collarbone all the way down to her hips, ending in a red combat skirt and a piece of cloth that drooped down to her ankles. But that wasn't all of it, as her shapely legs were also armed in bronze plating over high-heeled boots._

" _Hello!" A bright and cheery voice snapped him out of his examination of her. Well, not completely, as he still looked at her smiling face._

" _H-h-hi. H-how are y-you?"_

" _Oh, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." A beat of silence passed by. "So, you seem to be having some trouble there."_

" _Y-es. This w-w-wood is r-rubbing me in-n a bad-d way. Feels irrit-t-tating. And-d-d I ca-an't get out."_

" _Well, here, I'll help you get out." She grabbed him by his shoulders. "I'll see if I can't push you out." She may have looked somewhat delicate, but she had muscle in her, seeing as her little push resulted in Jaune flying a few metres back onto the grass. She ran after him. "I'm sorry! Are you alright?" He sat up._

" _Y-yeah, I'm… I'm ok." She held out her hand. Eagerly, he took it, and she pulled him up. While this happened, Jaune was thinking what he would do next. He wanted to at least look polite, but he didn't really know what to do in this weird situation… oh wait. He remembered now. In every single show he's watched, people who didn't know each other usually told each other their names, or at least asked for them, right? "I-I'm Jaune Arc. Um, wha-at's your na-ame?"_

 _Okay, at this point the girl in front of him was confused. She was thinking that, from his stuttering, he was a fan of hers trying to not have a nervous breakdown. But he asked for her name, which implies that he DOESN'T know who she is… time to make the best of the situation!_

" _Of course! My name is Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos."_

" _P-Pyrrha?" Oh no, she thought to herself. Was this going to be another fan of hers? Could she just have a normal life for once, instead of being the bee's knees? "Pretty n-name." Oh… I guess that disaster's been averted, Pyrrha thought. They would've talked more, but Ozpin's voice, projected across the whole of Beacon, was just a bit more important._

* * *

Well, he reasoned to himself that he could socialize with people whenever he wanted. After all, a school was chock-full of people in his age group.

*RUMBLE*

 _I guess that's my cue to socialize,_ he told himself after feeling a vibration in his abdomen. Come to think of it, he didn't really eat much just yet… he woke up, quickly gargled some water, washed his face, and skimped out on breakfast. _I need a stamina boost._ Quickly, he headed for Beacon's cafeteria.

Entering through the double doors, he saw another student grab a plate and tray. Copying his peer, he looked around for some grub that would be perfect for hunting. Nothing really stood out much until he came across two foods he thought he'd never see again, since they were supposedly native to his island.

One, despite being roasted, he could tell was Cannon Lettuce. The other was a stir-fried example of sweet-smelling Scented Celery. As he wondered how they got here, in Beacon's cafeteria, a familiar hand slapped on the back.

"Jaune, my boy! Good to see you again, young lad!"

"P-Peter!"

"Yes, that is my name! Don't erode it out!"

"W-well, on-ce more, th-thank you f-for last-t-t night…" The older man laughed heartily.

"Once more, you're welcome! Though, even after your explanation, I'm still dumbfounded as to how you walked into the girls restroom and attempted to strip down." As he said this, a ten-foot-in-radius area around them was vacated, as in completely void, of females (save a hyperactive ginger girl and an orange-haired chef that looked suspiciously like a female Jaune with a moustache). But it was chock-full of jealous, angry males.

"L-l-like I s-said, I-I al-always to-ok shower-ers with my sis-sisters, and the sh-shows I watched n-n-never had b-bathroom r-rules or something…" The jealousy of the boys around them skyrocketed to the point they had to cry, while the chef looked away, embarrassed.

"Still dumbfounded. But! I still admire the manliness you had when they violently threw you out, and you had an amazing poker face!"

"Th-that was confusion."

"It was still pretty sweet to see." At the mention of something sweet, Jaune looked back at the two exotic dishes that were a staple of his hunting life, especially when combined together.

"U-um, the le-lettuce and c-c-celery…" The man before him looked confused, but when he looked back at what the lad referred to, it became very clear to him.

"Ah, yes. From some seeds we took from your Islands, we were able to grow some of them in a farm behind Beacon." He stroked his moustache, going on and on about how great the farm was and some tale about his grandfather and cabbages. Jaune just quietly put in some earplugs and began to take his own share of the two vegetables, not like anyone else was adventurous enough to try something new they've never seen before.

Regardless, hearing about how something could be cultivated in a foreign land… this sort of idea intrigued Jaune. He thought to himself about how he could grow the various herbs and mushrooms he brought over, completely ignoring Peter's rant about invasions and weird species. Once he grabbed his meal, he pulled out his earplugs, and tapped the old man on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Jaune waved his hand at him.

"S-see ya, P-Peter!"

"Ho ho, why of course you'll be seeing me! After all, as I had told you last night, I am a Professor of Beacon!"

 _Sucks for anyone with HIS class…_ Walking away to a nearby table, he started to stuff himself with his plate full of greens. As he did, a rowdy and raucous chatter filled the air. But in the middle of it, he heard something akin to a bell. Curious as to the source of the noise, he turned his head around to see.

Well, she looked pretty. Golden blonde hair, stunning lilac eyes, and a smile that shined. But that was taking everything at face value, just the tip of the iceberg. He had to look below the neck, too. And she, in a way, looked like a cowboy (cowgirl?) from one of his dad's Old Westerns mixed in with a modern party girl. She had the orange scarf, brownish jacket, knee-high boots and belt. She also had black minishorts and a yellow crop top that left her belly exposed. Now all she needed was a hat and some shades…

"Hey!" She noticed his stare, and seemed amused by it, hence her calling him out. Well, it WAS among the first stares a boy had given her that day that didn't have barely-suppressed lust. It was more analytical. Plus, he was kinda cute. "So, like what you see?"

He just continued to stare at her blankly. She just disregarded his obvious confusion at the situation as being dumbfounded that a bombshell, like her, is talking to him. With a smirk, she plopped down in an empty chair at his side and placed her elbow on top of the table. A minute of silence passed between the two of them, who just stared at each other. One stare was full of indifference, but the other contained increasing annoyance.

"Y'know, buster, people tend to talk with their mouths instead of their eyes…"

"O-oh! I-I'm Jaune."

"Finally, we're getting somewhere! I almost thought you were a mute. So, Jaune, what's with the gear?"

"P-preparation is imp-portant."

"No, I mean, the locker rooms where we store our gear is locked right now. How come you have gear on?"

"I dun-n-no." She slung one arm around his shoulder.

"C'mon, no need to be nervous around me! Or, are you just a little hot and bothered?"

"I-I'm not n-nervous, a-a-and it's c-cold in here. Should-ouldn't you hav-ve a jacket-et?"

"I'm too hot for that! Anyways," She eyed his plate, which was full of veggies. "You said something about preparation, right? How come you're eating this? Before a test or a hunt or anything important, you gotta have some protein! Gives you around the same amount of energy as sweets, but without crashing and burning."

"This'll g-give me-e enough stam-stamina." Plunging his fork into a small piece of celery, then into a bit of onion, he handed it over to her. "Try s-some."

"Offering me food with YOUR fork? What a fast player!" The sound of a loudspeaker turning on caught both their attention.

"ATTENTION. STUDENTS UNDERGOING INITIATION, GO TO THE LOCKER ROOMS."

"And so are they. Well, Jaune, nice to meet you, but I gotta go." She sauntered off. "See ya later, lady-killer~" Thus, Jaune was left alone in the cafeteria, finishing up his meal and pondering what sort of enigma that woman was.

* * *

"P-Pyyrha! Hi!" Having heard an announcement to go to some cliffs for initiation, Jaune once more met up with his crimson-haired friend, Pyrrha, on a small rock outcropping looking over an emerald forest. She looked to be in some sort of distressed mood, probably caused by the angry, white-haired chick in front of her. Well, she looked happy from afar, but when she saw Jaune, her face turned sour.

"You!" She rudely pointed a finger at him. "You were the boy who tried to sneak into the girl's restrooms!" Pyyrha looked a little shocked at this. Jaune just scratched his head.

"… Wh-who are you again?" Her jaw dropped in shock before she started to flail her arms around.

"YOU don't KNOW who I AM? ARGH! What's with everyone! First that stupid little red girl and her sister, now this idiotic blonde! Who's next? Pyyrha, are you going to forget who I am?" She turned to Jaune while pointing at the bronze-laden gal. "Do you even know who SHE is?" Before he could answer, the lady in question stepped between the two.

"Not really that important now, Weiss. Jaune, did you really go into the women's restroom?"

"I-I didn't kn-know there were-ere differing ba-ba-bathrooms for boy-oys and girls." The fact that he said this with a completely nonchalant face made it all the more irritating for the girl named Weiss.

"That's NO EXCUSE!" But while her companion acted with anger, Pyrrha was simply befuddled.

"So, did your parents never teach you this? I honestly don't understand how that's possible, unless you were raised in the wild for your entire life."

"D-do seven years c-c-count?"

"NO, they do NOT! Listen up you dunce YOU are seventeen. SEVEN. TEEN. Take away those seven years, you've had 10 years of your life to learn how to behave in public. I don't care when those seven years happened, but blaming just that would be utter bull crap."

"W-w-wow, girl-whose-name-I-don't-know, you s-see-seem angry."

"I had to deal with a little red piece of crap earlier today, deal with it… Wait a second, did you seriously forget to refer to me by name?"

"I-I don't know what it i-is."

"Pyrrha here just said it half a minute ago!" She took a deep breath. "Okay, Weiss, focus, that wasn't what you're supposed to be focusing on…"

"Oh, your na-name's Weiss?"

"… That isn't what we should be focusing on. Instead, I'd like to see what other idiotic excuses you could come up with. Go ahead, explain why you lacked common decency and slipped into the girl's bathroom. I'm sure you'd come up with an answer along the lines of, 'me and my sisters used to share the restroom all the time' or something." Pyrrha shoved herself between the two.

"Weiss, can't we just let it go and see it as an honest mistake?"

"An honest mistake? Pyrrha-"

"Weiss, you proclaimed yourself as an expert judge of character. Look into Jaune's eyes and tell me you don't see the same honesty as I see, the same complete… confusion at this entire situation." Before They could talk any further, somebody coughed.

Around them were the rest of the first years, who had gathered at the cliffs during their entire argument. In front of them was Headmaster Ozpin, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, may we begin?

* * *

 **A/N: oh lordy lordy, here's some more filler... joy.**

 **see ya next time when jaune actually does something**


	26. Twistcrawl

**A/N: Well, here we go. Jaune's first encounter in an Emerald Forest.**

 **rwby1989: 1) ... 2) Pfft, what do you think I'm gonna have his team do? Sit around, thumbs up their asses? Of course they're gonna help!**

 **Noble Graysin: Well I guess opinions differentiate, huh? I mean, your opinion's alright, but still.**

 **Guest: Is... is the large amount of words good? Izzit bad?**

 **Gabriel H. Sapphire: Sharpen up your lances and apply your bow coatings!**

 **yomunot: Wish granted**

 **RoyalTwinFangs: Okay**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

Flying. He was flying through the air.

This was, to him, a regular occurrence. He often had to fight something with usable wings, and had caught himself many times on one of the many cliffs that dotted Yukumo Island's mountainous terrain.

Granted, most times he wasn't launched by a springboard at high velocities into a heavily forested area. THAT required some improvisation.

Focusing only on himself and his soul, he brought out his Aura and unsheathed the claw and fan from his back.

 _Okay, just like all those times…_ Pouring his Aura into the tips of each blade, he did his little blade dance, randomly swinging them in front of him. It was enough: the familiar symbol, some weird, dashed lines superimposed on the Arc Crescent Moons. They shined brightly, and out from the brightness came…

A wooly creature with a big back hump, two large tusks, and the absolute weakest flesh his weapons could ever pierce. It was a Popo, straight from the island of Pokke. And fate had chosen it to be summoned right in midair. While moving through the air at high speeds.

… _This is going to suck._ With a small kick, he repositioned it so that the curve on its curved tusks was facing the sky. Grabbing hold of the thick fur, he braced himself. Eventually, the tusks caught the branch of a tree. But the weight of the creature was too much, and it snapped off the bark.

The momentum they had when they caught the tree was sufficient enough to swing them forwards at the same dizzying speed they were at before, but now they were _spinning._ What fun for Jaune!

 _Imma hurl!_ Somewhat unluckily for them, their ride stopped short when the spinning ball of fur, meat, and brutish bone crashed into something, flinging Jaune off the beast and into a nearby tree.

Peeling himself off the rough bark, Jaune looked to see where they had landed. Err, scratch that, where HE had landed. The Popo… didn't make it. It did, however, manage to crush the head of a gigantic, black, snake-like creature in the process, so that was fine.

Sizing up the creature, he could see that its long, black and muscular body was protected on the back by large, bony plates with strange red markings. It also transitioned from a black coloring into a white coloring somewhere down the body.

Hmm, that was strange. Usually, snakes would get thinner by this point as the body tapered off into a tail, but it actually started to get thicker. Oh wait, THERE was the thinness he was looking for. But the angle seemed odd, as if it were tapering off into another head instead of a tail. But that was silly, right?

The menacing hissing coming from behind him seemed to disagree.

Dodging something that crashed into the ground next to him, Jaune looked at a gigantic white head, shaped like that of a snake's. It had the eyes, the fangs, the devilish tongue, and the annoying hissing. Both the human and the serpent locked eyes; one pair was red, one blue, but both showed intent to kill.

The white snake took the first move, and tried to smack Jaune with the stump its 2nd head used to occupy. Leaping over the attack, the blonde took his shield of ice and poured his Aura into it before ramming it into the constrictor's hide. The momentum launched him higher up into the air, while the blunt impact left behind a nice formation of ice crystals.

Too bad it did little more than piss the thing off. It charged at him headfirst, maw open wide. Having nowhere to go in the air, Jaune took out his fan. Having freshly polished it the night before, Jaune reflected enough sunlight into the creature's eyes to slightly divert its attack.

The majority of the snake missed, but a fang on the lower mouth managed to wedge its way into the pace between his arm and the shield made out of rubbery hide. He was about to make use of his shield's unique conductive properties when the beast correct its trajectory and slammed him into a couple dozen trees.

 _Glad I ate my veggies! Got enough minerals in them to make my skin as hard as iron!_ That didn't change the fact that the attack still hurt. Finding an opening between trees, Jaune took his fan-blade and cut the thing's lower gums open, a torrent of water accompanying the slash.

The thing writhed in pain, and the salt in the wound came when Jaune jammed his ice –shield into the wound, activating his Aura and making several crystals erupt from the open wound.

Shaking its head to dislodge the crystals, the movement released Jaune from his small prison. Grabbing that seditious, golden hook, Jaune flung it at the creature's bottom jaw, where it's insane sharpness pierced through the flesh… but it got stuck in the process.

Landing on the forest floor, Jaune hopped up to the treetops and onto its back. Intent on retrieving his weapon, he ran along the thing's back. Taking his fossilized sword from his back, he began to hack and slash at the viper's spine as he ran along it.

It reacted in kind by twisting its body, and charged straight at Jaune with blinding speed. His reaction was slow, but he was able to stab it in the face with his long-sword before the thing crashed into him.

The serpent continued its charge, and slammed Jaune into the dirt. It didn't stop there, and drilled into the earth for a bit before coming back up to the surface, an injured hunter in tow.

Gripping the blade tightly, his Aura flooded it and unleashed a torrent of fire, scorching the nostrils and freeing the sword. While falling, he reached for the golden blade, but the thing swung its head like a hammer, slamming Jaune onto the ground.

It didn't give him a moment's rest as it repeatedly slammed its head down, over and over. Jaune had put his shields to use, but his guard was slowly being broken through. A final smash hit him hard enough to bounce him off the ground, leaving him open. It opened up its mouth, and moved in for the kill.

Gunfire rang out through the air.

As the snake recoiled from the shots fired, Jaune saw a red blur come by and slash it several times across the face before retreating. As it landed next to him, a bit of recognition dawned on him. That red cape, the crimson scythe, and those shining silver eyes.

"Mind if I cut- Oh hey! I remember you!" Grabbing his hand, she shook it like a monstrous tremor. ""You're from that night in Vale! Thank's for the help back then! I guess this is me paying you back, huh? Oh, wait a minute! I forgot to tell you my name, huh?" Standing back, she struck a pose. "I'm Ruby Rose!"

"I-I'm Ja-Jaune Arc, and can we fo-focus on that-t thing?" She looked behind them at one very angry snake.

"Oh. Right. The King Taijitu…" With a battle cry, she transformed into a flurry of rose petals and once more cut the snake across the face. Rather than flinching from the sharp blade, the serpent tanked the attack and lashed out at the rose by grabbing a tree trunk with its mouth and swatting her with it.

"Wow, that is one hard snake. My Crescent Rose only scratched him!" She had a point, since most of his attacks had only caused a bit of damage. Really, the only things that hurt it greatly were the slash across the gums and his Seditious Fang, which was currently hooked to its underside.

"B-But my sword over-er there cou-could cut it." She glanced at the blade, and nodded.

"Alright, I think I can distract it for you!" Twirling her weapon around her, she planted the tip of its blade into the ground, took aim, and fired several shots. As the hailstorm of bullets bounced off the reptile's hide, bruising it, Jaune ducked and weaved through the underbrush, inching ever so closely to his weapon.

But the moment he had it in his grasp, it vanished from his sight. A cloud of dirt and stone obscured his vision, and the… King Taijitu?... had disappeared into the ground.

"Huh… I guess it ran away." An explosion of white from her position proved Ruby wrong, as the Taijitu had buried up from under her. The force of the attack wrenched her scythe from her grasp, and left her in danger. The open maw of an oversized viper was right below her.

Thinking fast, Jaune saw that he was near what remained of the Pop. A disgusting stench emanated from it.

 _Isn't it too early for decomposition? Wait a minute… That's it!_ Grabbing a large leaf, Jaune gathered some… solid waste… from the remains of the mammal's large intestine. Wrapping it up with the leaf, he forced Aura into his arm. With a mighty yell, he flung the dung bomb at the white monster, nailing it in the tongue.

The sheer disgustingness of it disoriented the snake, and as it tried to remove the offending substance, Ruby spotted a sliver of gold.

Turning into a crimson blur, she sped towards the object. Only seconds later, the Taijitu's underside was completely split open, spraying dark ichor everywhere. While Jaune wiped off the substance with a leaf, at the same time examining its properties, his ally was examining the blade in her hands.

"I've seen hook swords and swords with serrated edges before, but this is something else! The craftsmanship is amazing, and the way its finished makes it seem almost organic! Its so beautiful…" She lightly touched the end of the hook before quickly retracting it. "Ah! So sharp, too! Man, these materials are amazing. It really gives me the feeling of, like, a monster ready to shred apart anything…" While she nerded out over the weapon, Jaune was busy inspecting the remains of the viper.

 _Nice scales built with an emphasis on traction over speed, could work well as part of a shield. These bony protrusions sound surprisingly hollow. I guess I could use these as phials to hold stuff… Hide feels nice and leathery, and- huh?_ When he inspected the rest of the body, he found something he'd never seen before: the inside of the body was entirely hollow. No organs, no signs of muscle, not even bones despite the armor he could see. This was definitely strange. Taking a closer look, he saw some black smoke… and realized whatever mass this thing had was slowly decreasing, like it was evaporating! Actually… it WAS evaporating!

"R-Ruby?" The smaller girl teleported to his side, clutching the armament in a vice-like grip.

"Jaune, you HAVE to tell me how you put this together!"

"W-well, first l-let's… HUH?" He looked back the cadaver and saw that half of it was missing or covered in black smoke! "Wha-what is this? I-Its disapp-pearing!" The red reaper looked at him curiously.

"Huh? Disappearing? That's normal for Creatures of Grimm. What, didn't know they did that?"

"G-Grimm? Grimm…" He'd heard that term before. Yes… he remembered when, one day, his weekly _Porkermon_ show was interrupted by a news broadcast. It talked about danger levels and something called Grimm. And then he asked Jean-Pâle about them… those soulless beings that seek only to harm humanity…

So this is what they looked like. Black, white, animalistic, and empty on the inside, as if a physical representation of their lack of soul. Not that he'd ever understand what a soul was anyway, other than the musical type his dad listened to.

A hand waved in his face.

"Uh, you alright there? You've been staring at the ground for some time now." He turned towards the reaper.

"F-first time I s-saw a Grimm."

"Wait, really? I mean, it certainly didn't look that way from how you handled that thing."

"I hun-hunted other m-monsters." Before she could ask him to elaborate, they heard a rustling in the woods. A feeling of apprehension assaulted them. Jaune grabbed the other sword from Ruby, while the reaper took out her scythe. Waiting in anticipation, they felt relief when nothing more than a girl, dressed in black and white, walked out of the undergrowth. The bow on top of her head twitched, and she looked at the little rose blankly.

"Ruby, word of advice: don't leave your partner behind in a Grimm-infested forest. Especially since we're being timed." The girl in question rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Whoops! Sorry, Blake! I just couldn't help myself." The bow-headed girl, apparently named Blake, patted the shorter Ruby on her head.

"You're fine. Just, try not to get too caught up fighting Grimm." She focused her attention on the blonde boy next to her. "Hello there. I'm Blake, Ruby's partner." She stuck out her hand, and he took it.

"J-Jaune. Arc."

"Nice to meet you, Jaune. Do you have a partner yet?"

"Umm…" He actually forgot that he was supposed to meet with other people in this initiation.

"I'll take that as a no." At this new revelation, Ruby started to jump up and down excitedly.

"Ooh, Ooh! Blake, can he come with us until he finds a partner?" The girl in the black bow simply shrugged.

"Fine by me."

"Yay!" Ruby roughly gabbed Jaune by the hand, and started to lead him deeper into the emerald forest. "C'mon, Jaune! Maybe we'll find a partner for you along the way! Besides, you HAVE to tell me about how you made your weapons!"

"Uhh, s-sure…" The trudged along, Blake following silently behind the two. All three were blissfully unaware of a pair of red eyes following the trio from atop a mountain.

* * *

 **A/N: So, how far am I willing to change up the team compositions? Let's find that out next time, shall we? In the mean time, please review and PM me, and I'll see y'all later.**


	27. Bird Wyvern

**A/N: WHY MUST SCHOOL TAKE UP SO MUCH TIME? That, plus writer's block and general lethargy, can screw up any writer... and their grades.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs: Eh.**

 **freddy. lane. 1: Well, it's going to end with Jaune on a team, that being the most I can tell you without spoiling surprises.**

 **TalonIbnLaAhad: Oh, you flatterer, you.**

 **ZeroDragonFlame: Well, one of his shields comes from the Thor Rigindora Sword-and-Shield (Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate), while the other shield comes from the Hi Frost Edge (available in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Monster Hunter Generations). The fan-sword belongs to a Mizutsune Sword and Shield (Generations) while I took the Seregios blade from Panja Sedition, Generations edition. The Long Sword is the Notos+ from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Happy hunting!**

 **Yomunot: Nah, that'd be a bit too much weapon-fangirling for me. We're giving him someone different.**

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 **[JAUNE ARC]**

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 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

"Uh…" Ruby stared at the cavern, the opening, the dark space that boggled her mind with one question, one question only. "Do we go in there?"

Now, the trio were staring down the mouth of a cavern, nestled somewhere in the rocky cliffs that dotted Beacon Academy and, by extension, the Emerald Forest. Now, the thing that caught their attention wasn't the small jagged stalactites… stalagmites? Eh, the things on top of the opening that almost made it look like a Blangonga's maw. Nor was it the ominous looking markings on their left side, with a picture of stick figures with sticks battling a gigantic scorpion. Instead, it was sheer curiosity, an adventurous spirit that permeated out of two of those present.

The last one just wanted to curl up in a bed and read a book.

"I don't think we should. Other than the cave paintings telling us that there is likely a Deathstalker inside the cave, the fact is, going in there would be a waste of time and effort. Both of which would be better spent trying to look for the relics." She looked at her partner in red, who seemed to be thinking over her idea. As she turned to the male of the group, he looked like he was thinking about something. But it wasn't what she just said. "Jaune?"

"O-ores."

"Pardon?"

"I-I won… der… wh-what mat-t-terials I can fi-find in the-re…"

"I wouldn't bet on finding anything worthwhile in there. From what I know, there aren't that many deposits of… anything valuable, really, around Beacon… and they both just walked into the cave anyway. Joy" Shaking her head and sighing, Blake Belladonna followed after the two. Entering the cave, she immediately spotted them stumbling around in the dark.

Actually, now that she looked, only Ruby was having a hard time.

"Ah, drat! I just washed this skirt, too!"

"You DID know we were going to get dirty, right?"

"Uh, that word has 'dirt' in there, not water! Dust on my skirt's easy to get off, but water ruins the rigidity! The thickness! It makes it hard for my combat skirt to be a combat skirt!"

"But your Semblance shouldn't make it much of a problem. With the speeds you run at, you're basically a human dryer."

"… Oh right, I didn't think about that! But what I do think is that we need a torch or something…" She said this, and her prayers were answered when the cave just exploded in brightness. "AH! Too bright!"

"S-sorry," Jaune apologized, putting down his fossilized katana and holding up a small sprig that was lit on fire. "Needed-ed l-ight?"

"Thanks, Jaune!" She took the light source from him.

"Could've warned someone first…" Blake rubbed her irritated eyes, worried that she might've gone blind for a moment there. Lucky for her, everything was in place. That also included everything in front of them: that rock was there, that stalagamactite was still dripping water. The torch did nothing for her. But it did reveal a glint of something. "Huh, what do you know. You were right about ores, or at least about something valuable…" Ruby pointed deeper into the cave.

"OOH! Maybe there's more inside! Let's go deeper!" Following the excitable red rose through the dank space, the trio eventually stumbled upon a large area.

The torch was not needed here, for a large hole in the cliff face illuminated the place. It was highly spacious, without any large rocks or rock formations hampering visibility aside from a large boulder in the middle. In the area where light struck, there were mosses and other low-lying plants growing.

Deciding to look for any useful foliage, Jaune sifted through the green before he found something stuck inside. Curiosity struck him, and he pulled out a broken, rusty, scimitar. Upon closer inspection of the verdant carpet, Jaune found other worn and torn weapons. Of course, being a sort of blacksmith, he was interested in how they were in the field and thoughts like that. But the real question he wanted to ask was, how'd they get there?

"G-guys…" He called their attention to the stash he found.

"Whoa, ohmygosh where did these come from! They're so… old… and chipped unnaturally in some places… this one here's completely snapped in half, and so are these, and there are dents in this one…" As Jaune helped her look at all the damage the weapons incurred, Blake's senses went into overdrive. Her hands reached around her back, grasping the handle of her eager cleaver.

"Watch out! Something's coming... and it's big." As the trio got into a defensive stance, Jaune saw something floating toward them from the gash in the side of the mountain. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a black feather.

A giant black feather.

"Hit the deck!" His sense of danger, sharpened by years fighting alone, kicked in. He held his shields up, and the blocked a rain, a hailstorm of piercing black daggers. Looking to his sides, he could see that the other two took a more evasive approach, and retreated behind the boulder.

As soon as Jaune let down his guard, he saw something drop to the floor in front of him.

It wasn't really anything special to a man who was used to seeing monsters of its size. But it was rather big, maybe slightly smaller than a Gravios, and somewhat intimidating. He'd seen some pretty dark creatures in his life, but he'd never seen something so… black. No, really, it was covered head-to-toe in midnight black feathers that glinted in the sun. It wasn't just the feathers; the beak was obsidian; the legs and digits were coal. The massive bird in front of him occasionally broke its pure-black color scheme with sharp ivory talons and a large mask, headgear made of snowy white bone. He wasn't sure what those red markings are, but judging from the heavy scent of iron in the air… they were likely splatters of blood.

"Look at the size of that Nevermore!" Nevermore. So that was its name. Oh joy.

A frightening screech started the battle. Running through the forceful sound waves, he rolled to the left, avoiding a scratch from a one of its feet-claws before getting soundly smacked into a wall by a massive wing.

"Jaune!" The Nevermore was massive. It almost took up the natural arena they were fighting in (in terms of how much ground it covered, not how tall it was). That was both a curse and a blessing. Ruby took advantage of that to leap onto its head when its beak came crashing down on her. Landing, she ran across its back, spinning her scythe like a wheel and scratching it numerous times on its back. Irritated, the raven simply slammed its back into the wall, crushing her.

Blake took the initiative to try and dice it apart at its neck. As she unleashed a flurry of attacks, the Grimm simply swatted her aside with its massive head. Well, it swatted at a clone, an afterimage, a body double. The actual Blake stood atop its head, and took out a katana from inside the bigger cleaver before wedging them both in between the skull mask and the face. As she tried to drive the blades in deeper, the bird thrashed its head around, slamming it into stone to try and dislodge her.

Ruby, recovering from the Grimm's previous attack, had run to a small section of the arena the Nevermore couldn't get to. Focusing on her semblance, she boosted herself up a wall before leaping off and at the Grimm's direction. Spinning around with her scythe out, she sawed across the chest and wings. The hard feathers made it difficult for her to cut it, but there was enough force behind the attack for it to have an effect.

Jaune dragged himself out of a human-shaped hole in the wall. Dropping to the rocky cave floor, Jaune studied his opponent, looking for weaknesses in the Nevermore's body structure. He found one: a lack of feathery protection on the legs and feet.

 _The only body parts to be thrashing around wildly WITH a serious weight on them… great._ Sprinting forward, he vaulted over a small stomp before slamming one of his shields into the avian equivalent of a shin. Using momentum to spin him around and add weight to his next strike, Jaune unsheathed his katana, using it to slash at the toes. The cut was rather shallow, but it was enough to draw black ichor. And it was enough to get the raven to notice.

Ignoring the black and red bugs on its bod, the dark bird focused its attempts on what it deemed a more dangerous target: a blonde speck on the floor. Jaune dodged several rapid-fire beak slams, which had also dislodged Blake and flung her up to the hole in the ceiling. All throughout this rain, Jaune took potshots at the legs, slamming them with shield bashes or cutting into them with an oversized knife. On the last slam, Jaune maneuvered himself in a way that, when he dodged, the raven would break its own toe with its beak.

Which it did.

Finally deciding to get out of such a small space, the Nevermore began to flap its wings. The wind pressure almost launched the girls back into the walls, but Jaune stood his ground. He also decided that he wasn't going to stay and get himself lost in these caves trying to look for a relic.

It came as somewhat of a shock to the ladybug duo when they saw the blonde scaling up the Nevermore.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"MO-MOUNTING THE BI-RD!" While Blake flushed a little at that, Ruby decided to help her friend in… whatever he was trying to accomplish by hitching a ride. Turning so that she had a tailwind, she used her semblance to boost her up the cave wall while the wind gave her an extra bit of speed. When she reached the point where the wind couldn't reach her, she leapt, and planted herself feet-first on the raven's nape.

Securing herself by holding onto the feathers, she watched in slight amusement and worry as the bird lifted itself ever higher, almost leaving Blake behind. She was able to join them only after mecha-shifting her katana into a sickle-and-chain and wrapping it around the Grimm's ankle.

And with that it exited the cave and took off. At first it wanted to get out so it could send down a hail of feathers into its nest, skewering the hunters-in-training. Now it consigned itself into doing aerial tricks to shake them off.

Loop de loop. Heartline turn. Sudden dives and swoops. But nothing was able to those three off.

Blake was slowly pulling herself forward, trying not to hang onto the bird by a bunch of threads. Ruby was doing her best to not fall off, and this include burying herself deeper into the nape feathers to ward off the wind. The only one even remotely comfortable in this situation was a blonde hunter, who was using up his time trying to pierce through the feathers. Nothing worked.

 _Oh come on! There has to be something I can do to at least feel like I'm doing damage! Rrgh!_ Slamming the shield of his Thor Rigindora into the feathers, he found what he was looking for! Apparently, the beast was very conductive of electricity, but didn't like it very much.

 _Fine by me._ Raising his fist and pouring Aura into the shield, Jaune slammed it into the bird, shocking it and giving it great pain. He kept up the blows, causing the Nevermore to writhe while flying. But then it decided enough was enough.

Looping up high into the sky, the beast plummeted downward at speeds so high Jaune was sure he saw action lines.

"Th-th-th-this… is not… enough-gh!"

"WHY ARE WE STILL RIDING THIS THIIIIIIING!"

"Urp… I think I'm going to vomit out that tuna I had…"

And then, it suddenly stopped in mid-air.

* * *

Elsewhere…

"Huff… Huff…" At the edge of a clearing, where grassy plain met verdant forest, a bush rustled and shook. One of the students in the plain, narrowing his magenta eyes, cocked a pair of semi-automatic pistols, blades attached to the barrels. The other one pounded her fists together, ready for any action that might happen.

A pair of pale hands grabbed the bush leaves and split them apart, revealing a tired and slightly dirty pompous rich girl.

"AM NOT!" She cleared her throat. "Whew, I finally made it to out of those dreadful woods! If I ever see another Annelid, it'll be too soon!" She shuddered. "Freaky Grimm worms…" The two other people in the clearing lowered their arms.

"Never mind, it's just another student."

"Aw, I was hoping for some fun!" Lilac eyes met with icy blue ones. "Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here, Frosty the Snowwoman."

"Likewise, brute."

"Yang, please stop antagonizing other students." Weiss raised an eyebrow at an oriental-looking young lad.

"Well, your partner at least has better manners. Is it too much for me to hope that you two have yet to make even an iota of eye contact?"

"Sorry, girl, _eye_ don't think so!" Weiss gave an exasperated grunt and massaged her temples. She wondered what sort of deity or deities were out there that she had this luck. First, a small Chiropter interrupts her landing, forcing her to land upside down in a tree, knickers visible to the whole world. Then, she has a run in with those annoying Annelids that soaked her entire supply of water dust in mucus. Now, she has to deal with an annoying blonde that's smugly grinning at her.

All she needed now was for some crazy person riding a Ghinoceros to crash into her.

"WAAH!"

"RENNY!"

"NORA?!"

"Nora please make this stop!"

She really shouldn't have tempted fate.

Getting up and dusting off the dirt staining her combat skirt (not that it wasn't already dirty), Weiss gave a dirty look at what crashed into her. There was a currently-dissolving rhino-Grimm carcass, a ginger girl with a Cheshire grin and massive Warhammer glomping the Brute's partner, and-

"Oh my! Pyrrha Nikos, allow me to help you up." Grabbing the champion's hand, she helped her to stand while silently promising herself that she'd never wash her hand again.

"Thank you… Weiss. Really, though, it should be me trying to help you. After all, you were the one me and my partner ran into." Said partner was currently doing a jig on the tip of the Ghinoceros's horn while balancing a giant chess piece on her head. Why was life unfair?

"Partner, hmm?" Pyrrha saw the sad look in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Weiss. I'm sure there are still some people without any partner. Maybe the heavens will smile down on you."

That's when Jaune landed on top of the heiress.

"Why… me…"

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it for today's show, come back next time to see whether or not Weiss gets lucky, the guys fight anything other than an oversized crow, and if Jaune pulls out all the stops. Review, PM, and have a good day! Now, where's my math study- I mean, cram guide?**


	28. Rage

**A/N: I HAVE RISEN ONCE MORE FROM THE DEPTHS OF GEHENNA! Also known as my history class.**

 **And, I bring with me, the gift of story! And review-reading.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs: Thnx m8**

 **SnapDragon21: Well, this IS partly humor. It'd be remiss of me if I were to ONLY focus on action. Even the tiniest iota of humor should be found in these chapters.**

 **shadow (guest): thnx m8**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

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 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

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"H-hey… He-y… H-ey… Hey-ey… Wa-ke up…" With a groggy feeling in her head (alongside a dull pain), Weiss was roused out of her unconsciousness. Feeling blades of grass tickle her palms, the back of her knees, and the back of her back, alongside the crimson sea that filled her vision, Weiss guessed that she was lying on the ground, with her face directly in line with the sun. Slowly moving a hand in front of her eyes to shield herself, she cautiously opened them. The first thing she saw, other than the back of her palm, the open air, and a giant black shadow in the distance, were a pair of baby blue eyes.

"What… wha… who the f…" Then the memories came rushing in. A flashback of an idiot getting literally kicked out of the women's restroom, a callback to a buffoon who had managed to get on the good side of her idol, and a reminder about making eye-contact with people. "Oh dust, tell me you aren't my partner."

"Y-you aren't my pa-pa-partner."

"… Seriously?" Sitting up, she looked around at the group of people that surrounded them. "Am I stuck being his partner? No one else has claimed him as theirs?"

"No."

"Sorry."

"Don't even know him."

"That's kinda kinky." With a sigh of resignation, Weiss slowly got up on her feet.

"I guess I'm stuck with _you_ , then." Jaune could practically feel the irritation leak out of her, spilling like froth from a glass of cola. She then looked around, and saw… nothing. Nobody was holding anything of importance, nothing that looked like relics could be seen in their hands. "Well, seeing as how we're in the same boat with everyone else- that is, no one has a relic- I can at least feel better about myself."

"I think we can feel good when we DON'T have a giant monster tracking us from a sky." Blake pointed to the massive Grimm corvid in the sky. The blonde-haired brawler grinned, and she cocked her gun-tlets.

"Alright! I love me a good fight!"

"U-um… were-re'nt we supposed t-to… get… some… thing?" Ruby's eyes bugged out of their sockets.

"Ohmygawsh, Jaune's right! We still need to get relics!" A pink-clad ginger girl stared at the reaper with a dejected look in her eyes.

"But there's a giant bird right there! It looks plenty ripe for smashing with my hammer!"

"Nora," The only other male there, with small, magenta eyes and a wicked warrior's wolf-tail, patted the girl comfortingly on the shoulder. He was also trying his best to suppress a breath of relief. Jaune took out a small vial of a yellowish liquid, and downed half of it.

"We-well, we can alwa-ways hunt it down la-la-later, AFTER we g-g-get what we need." Weiss was starting to get slightly impressed with this boy; he at least knew what his priorities were. Now, there was only one thing that would make him a better partner, and that was if he knew where north was. Well, SHE wasn't going to ask him directly. After all, heiresses have honor to hold themselves to.

"Yes, now then, would you kindly lead us to North… partner?" After a quick glance at the sun and its position in the sky, Jaune nodded before sprinting in what Weiss only assumed was North. Everyone else followed suit.

About 2 minutes into their run, Ruby cast a quick glance backwards. Yup, that black shadow was still following them. As a matter of fact, it looked like it was accelerating towards them- OH H-E- DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS!

"HIT THE DECK!" Everyone threw themselves (in Jaune's case, faceplanted) onto the ground, avoiding a swoop from the overgrown blackbird. They watched it as it circled back to attempt another divebomb. "Man, that thing really wants us dead." Yang looked to her younger sister in a mixture of awe, apprehension, and curiosity.

"What did you do?"

"Well, before we rode it for a while, Jaune kinda broke all its toes."

"With that I respect your friend a bit more than I originally did." Cocking her weapon, Yang got up and prepared to fire a volley. Right when she was about to, a long blue blade entered her field of vision.

Flaring his Aura, Jaune poured a lot of it into his burning weapon, causing flames to flicker around it.

"Jaune, what are you doing?" Letting part of it rest onto the ground, Jaune held the katana with one hand (it was somewhat difficult to do) before pouring some aura into his rubbery shield. The electrical organ inside it started up and made sparks fly.

"Jaune, whatever you're doing, do it quickly, because that thing is basically on TOP OF U-" A bright flash interrupted whatever the younger of the Patch siblings was saying. Covering their eyes to protect them, the group uncovered them once the effects of the intense light were small enough (it took more time fro Blake than anybody else). What they saw, they were sort of impressed at.

The Nevermore, fearsome as it was, was now helpless as it lay thrashing on the ground, its sense of vision having been violated mere moments before. Seeing his job was finished, Jaune sheathed the katana and turned around, ready to search for the relics… until Weiss smacked him in the face with the pommel of her rapier.

"Warn us before you blind us next time, DOLT!" Well, if the strike did do anything, it looked like Jaune wasn't affected by a metal object slamming into his face. Instead, Weiss had to subtly massage her wrist after dealing the blow. _Damn, that aura of his is thick… Or is it just his skull?_ She thought to herself. "Well, whatever. You bought us some time by blinding that thing, and I intend to use it." Weiss rushed in the direction they were going, followed by Jaune, the group, and Ruby dragging a still-disoriented Blake.

They neared the edge of the clearing, and a group of crumbling stone constructs. Stopping short of this creation, the group analyzed it.

It was old. It mossy. It was open-air, either by design or because the roof and most of the walls were demolished eons ago, who could tell? The columns, grand as they probably used to be, were cracked or destroyed, or in the case of one particular pillar, had holes in them (how they still stood was beyond the teenagers' understanding.) Upon the columns that were half-destroyed, there were four chess pieces, golden in color. Most likely, the two golden knights and the two golden rooks were the relics they were sent to find (which would explain the lack of chess pieces left.)

They could've just taken them and left. But they didn't, all because of some very sleepy obstacles.

It was a horde of sleeping Grimm primates, the Bakoto, and their leader, a Beringel. Those tailless human-sized lemurs, with their weirdly long limbs and massive fingers and feet covered in black fur and only a rudimentary bone mask for protection, were just massive in number. They were covering the floor like a carpet that their leader slept on.

Speaking of the Beringel, despite being the leader of a pack/ troupe/ group, wasn't a weak boss. This gorilla-like Grimm, with its ivory breastplate and mask and sharpened teeth, stood at two-and-a-half metres tall and had a STUPIDLY high muscle mass. The students knew they had to tread carefully around this guy.

Jaune was an exception. He instead thought that they looked like black versions of monsters he'd regularly encounter, the Blangos and the Blangongas. And those weren't too bad to deal with. Sure, the Blangonga was annoying and could dish out pain, it wasn't really difficult to put down. Heck, he didn't need a summon.

But the main issue was how there was almost no ground for them to walk on without stepping on a Grimm.

*SHING* Oh, right. Weiss could just make them all glyphs to stand on. Still, they tread carefully, trying their best to not make too much noise as they grabbed the things. Jaune and Ren grabbed the knights, Pyrrha and Blake the rooks.

"Cool! We got ourselves some little ponies." Jaune tapped on Yang's shoulder.

"I'm queen of the castle~" Jaune tapped on Nora's shoulder.

They both regarded him quizzically.

"U-um, Nora, ri-right? And, Yang? You t-two have ex-explosives?" They slowly nodded their heads.

"How'd you know?"

"Intui-uition. Umm, can… can I bo-borrow some?" They both pondered it for a good minute, before deciding that it was nothing to be concerned about. They gave him a few canisters, and then they waltzed away.

Now, Weiss and company were all waiting for the the hunter and the huntresses to get off her glyphs when they all noticed Jaune doing something suspicious _directly over the leader of the group_. This definitely set off a few alarm bells in their heads, and when he reached solid dirt and grass, Weiss confronted him it.

"What did you do?"

"Huh?"

"What. Did. You. Just. Do. You did something weird to that gorilla, and- hey!" The blonde suddenly jogged a fair distance away, and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. "Don't ignore me! And, I want to know what you just did. Is it something I should be concerned about?"

"Relax, Ice Queen," The heiress's eye twitched when Yang wrapped an arm around her. "He probably just, I don't know, drew on the thing's bones. Heck, maybe it was just plain old nothing. What, did you think he was setting up a bomb or something?"

"I-I-I was."

"… Hah?"

"Pl-placing a bom-bomb over th-the… uh… Grimm. They-ey should exp-explode now-"

 **BANG**

The explosives that he'd left behind near the Beringel, alongside that one Dust-grenade he charged up with Aura to serve as a time bomb, exploded. Bakotos were sent flying in all directions, stone shrapnel was sent every-which-way, and the big-boss gorilla flew high into the sky, its bone mask slightly broken and its skin charred well-done. Weiss looked rather impressed, surprisingly.

"Huh. You managed to eliminate most of them, and the Beringel looks heavily injured. You did a… satisfactory job."

"HAHAHA! Look, Renny! They're like the flying monkeys from that book you used to read me!" Pyrrha looked at it with an 'iffy' expression on her face.

"It's kind of a dirty tactic… but it is useful." Jaune felt the inexplicable urge to smile. But that grin dropped when he saw the Bakotos that hadn't died get off the ground and snarl at the hunting party.

Yes, his sleep-bomb trick worked to kill of most of the simians. But there was still a sizeable amount of them that were alive AND capable of fighting (i.e. those that weren't missing a few limbs yet still lived). The danger of defeat at the hands of Grimm was still present.

That danger grew when the Beringel landed. It was damaged heavily, but still ready to fight and smack around some human skulls.

"Since that ape is still alive, I take back my word. This was an UN-satisfactory job." Ruby looked a little worried.

"Aw, c'mon, Weiss. You can't fault Jaune for weakening their forces a bit."

"Don't talk to me like that. You and I aren't friends, _little girl_. Now, move aside and let the adults fight" Yang Xiao-Long was someone who took her sisterly duties seriously, and that included standing up for her sister in the face of obvious bullies. This was a fact Weiss learned when Yang shoved her, and she landed on her rump.

"Hey, watch it, princess! That's MY sister you're talking to!"

"And it seems that both of you are impudent children in teenage bodies."

"Try saying _that_ line when you have a mouthful of my fist!" Both of their respective partners hopped in, trying to defuse the situation in front of them.

"Weiss… we're… in the mid-d-dle of mon-monster infested wood-ods!"

"This person is right, Yang. We have our relics, we should run to Beacon already!"

"Says you, Renny. My hammer's already out! It wants to slam and jam!"

"Not now, Nora!"

"Weiss, please compose yourself. This isn't the time to having petty fights."

"Well, SHE started it, Pyrrha!"

"Oh, now THAT'S a good joke! Blame it on me when all I wanted to do was protect my cute little sister, huh?"

"Yaaaaang, I don't neeeeeeed protection. I'm all grown up!"

And they all began to squabble amongst themselves (except for Jaune, who stood off to the side awkwardly.) And all this cacophonic noise was screwing over poor Blake's sensitive sense of hearing. She soon reached her boiling point, and marked it by grabbing her weapon, transforming it into its semi-auto pistol form, and firing several shots into the air, grabbing everyone's attention.

"You're ALL acting like spoiled brats. Our goal should be to focus on the mission, without letting our emotions get a hold of us." She glared at the freezer-burn duo. "Save your fights for _after_ we get out of here. We don't want your negativity to supply these Grimm with energy, nor do we want it to bring in reinforcements. Seriously, why are we not out of here yet? There's a sizeable group of Grimm standing right there, and Dust knows where the Nevermore is right now!"

A sudden look of warning dawned on her face. Her bow twitched. She quickly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a black, feathery spear. A distant sound, a faraway 'CAW-CAW' confirmed their suspicions.

The Nevermore was flying towards them, clearly ticked off. Oh, and it also managed to trap the teens. How so? Well, right at their backs and to their sides were piles upon piles of Nevermore plumage, standing tall like a contingent of soldiers. And directly in front of them were the Beringel and its brethren.

"Great, everyone's bickering and my complaints took too much time. Now, we don't really have an avenue to escape."

"Escape, e-schmape. Nora wanna SMASH! C'mon, Partner! C'mon, Renny!"

"I REALLY wanna test these new bullets I got for Crescent Rose!"

"Aw, yisss! An all-out melee! Hey, Ice Queen, don't go BRAWL-ing if you get some stains on your dress!"

"Ugh, what a distasteful joke."

Pyrrha and Ren silently readied themselves.

Jaune took a deep breath, letting his Aura flow around his body. He unsheathed the two smaller swords.

The Nevermore shrieked.

The Bakotos leapt at the hunting party.

The hunter gave their battlecry.

Glowing in the air above them, Jaune let his blades dance.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's the chapter! Rocky relationships abound, how are ANY of them going to be on a team? Now, just leave a review or something while I proceed to slam my face into my textbook.**


	29. Rock Wyvern

**A/N: I have a thing. Here's a thing. Enjoy it if you will.**

 **Before that...**

 **duskrider: Jaune WILL have to explain a couple things if his new acquaintances want to know more about him**

 **freddy. lane. 1: Is that a good or bad thing?**

 **RoyalTwinFangs: Thanks!**

 **FrostyMan122: Experience in the wild fighting inhuman creatures does not equate fighting against another human, trained to fight other humans, with actual training (years of it, I may add, versus the paltry few weeks that Jaune has had). Also, I think she used a Semblance or something during the fight... Maybe... Possibly... I don't know**

 **rammieson: Well, I wanted something a bit different. Change isn't necessarily bad, eh?**

 **yomunot: Yep**

 **Ok, read the thing now**

* * *

 **Welcome. Please select the Game data you would like to use.**

 **[JAUNE ARC]**

 **Select this save file?**

 **[YES]**

 **Welcome to the world of Monster Summoner!**

* * *

"What?" Pyrrha just gawked at what she was looking at. Did… did she just see that? Did that Jaune fellow just… well, he swung his swords, and then a bright flash of light appeared. She was pretty sure she also saw a symbol in the air; it was some sort of Eastern Mistralian character fused with a pair of crescent moons, a pair of arcs.

"What!?" Yang was sure that she saw a little bit of lava that erupted out from the symbol. Along with that burst of lava, a chunk of rock barreled out of that sigil. No, wait, that rock started to move! It wiggled, it wobbled, it shook part of the Earth (no, seriously, it has dirt on that it shook off). Then, she saw it… grow wings and a face? With that same, unique sigil on it?

"WHAT!?" Weiss could tell her partner was unique. After all, he had that… verbal tic of his that he WILL be adjusting later IF he wanted to stay in HER good graces. Then, there was his apparent lack of knowledge regarding rules of common decency; seriously, was he raised in a jungle or something? But, for the Schnee heiress, right now those didn't compare to the stony monstrosity right in front of her.

"Wh-what?" Jaune knew a couple of things about his ability. First, he knew he was rusty at it, since the last time he used it was several months ago during a fight with a strong, green, female wyvern he hunted. He also knew that it was an unpredictable ability that always spawned a random monster, and a random number of them. But he never really expected that he would be summoning the great stone wyvern that was the Basarios. Maybe that was because it was so forgettable to Jaune. Maybe it was the fact that Jaune never encountered many of them, usually encountering their stronger adult form, Gravios.

But now, here he was, covering his ears as the Basarios unleashed a high-grade screech. _Huh. I think Blake has sensitive hearing. It must suck to be her right now._

It also probably sucked to be Jaune right now. Weiss has been through some crap today- getting KOed, having _Jaune_ as a partner, being trapped by a gigantic crow and a bunch of apes. The utter disbelief at seeing something so foreign was transformed into unnecessary rage as she gripped Jaune by the ears, and shook his head back and forth.

" _Arc, what did you do?_ " Yang held her back a bit, and Jaune restored some feeling into his external auditory receptors.

"I ju-just… call-called for help-p." Pyrrha stepped in between the two partners.

"Look, Weiss, Jaune didn't really do anything wrong. Yes, he woke up and enraged that Beringel and his troop, but he did some damage to them. And, while I admit I'm not sure if I can trust that…"

"Basarios."

"… Basarios… it does appear as if Jaune has a handle on it. So, if you would, try not to be unnecessarily angry at him."

 _Breathe in. Breathe out._ Weiss repeated this mantra in her head. _Breathe in. Breath out. Ignore the madness that has been today. Mediate. Clear your head._ "Alright. I'm calm now. I've been destressed."

"I believe you should be doing one more thing, Weiss."

"You mean fight the Grimm?"

"Actually, I meant apologizing to Jaune." Even though Pyrrha was an honest-to-Dust celebrity that she wanted to form positive relations with, both as a fan and the heiress to a company that would benefit well from continued use of her image, Weiss stared at her. Pyrrha, wearing a slightly strained smile on her face, stared back.

This exchange went on until Weiss conceded. Sighing, she turned to face Jaune and-

"Wait, where did he go?" She looked around and noticed that only she and Pyrrha were standing there, along the outskirts of the ruins. Not even the Grimm where there. The only signs they were there was a large number of discarded feathers and a big tunnel in the ground. "Where'd they ALL go?"

"I believe they left to fight off the Grimm while we were standing here, and their battle simply took them someplace else." A raucous 'woo-hoo' emerged from the forest. A pink explosion followed it. Someone, a male judging by the sound of the voice, roared out, 'Nora!'

"Nora? Isn't that the name of your partner, Pyrrha?"

"Yes, it is. Let's go help out our comrades, shall we?"

"Agreed."

* * *

 **[Rewinding some time back]**

Turning so that the side of its body faced the (kinda goofy) troop of Bakoto, the Basarios blew away a squad of the ape-esque Grimm. But they didn't die, and they regrouped, with a larger group assaulting the one-monster tank. The Beringel stood by, watching and waiting for a moment to strike.

As Nora watched it tear through fodder, transfixed by the arrival and appearance of an unusual creature, the rest of the group (minus Weiss and Pyrrha) stared down the Giant Nevermore as it idly flapped its wings, hovering over the ground. Crimson eyes met silver, lilac, blue, magenta and amber. It screeched before, with a mighty flap, it soared back up into the sky, seemingly flying away from the battle.

"Huh? Is it fleeing?" Ruby asked, her battle senses not as toned as her peers before her. The four of them knew that it was planning something (a weird thought for them to have since most Grimm are reportedly mindless). Then they realized it was nothing much as it came up and down and all-around in a loop-de-loop before angling itself to fly at the teens.

Yang cocked her gun-gauntlets while a smirk adorned her face.

"Let's light up the sky!" Thrusting her arms forward, she launched a series of explosive shots using her fists. Deciding to back her up, Ren and Blake both aimed their semiautomatic handguns and let loose a torrent of Dust bullets. Ruby, meanwhile, was making full use of her weapon's rifle form, launching shots with more force than in sniper-scythle form (but more inaccurate. Jaune… stood there. Awkwardly. With his shields out in front of him.

 _Maybe I should've taken more lessons with the bow_ _before_ _giving up after shooting my foot for the umpteenth time. Wait, I'm an idiot- there_ _is_ _something I can do._ "C-C-COVER YO-YOUR EYE-S!" Channeling just enough Aura into his azure katana and his rubber shield, Jaune slammed them both together, flashing the entire area. He hoped it would work just like last time.

It didn't. The bird was apparently smart enough to momentarily shut its eyes, so it wouldn't be screwed over by the sudden flash.

Taking matters into his hands once again, Jaune leapt. While everyone else dived for cover, the hunter flipped and landed once more onto the Raven's back. Ruby and Blake caught sight of this.

"Again?"

As Jaune held on for dear life to the Nevermore's head feathers (and noticing that all the Bakotos, the Beringel, AND the Basarios were disoriented), he took out his golden hook-sword. The black talon on its very tip, made from the bladed Seregios, gleamed in the sun. In a swift series of motions, Jaune sawed off a part of the Nevermore's crest before a very irate Crow shook him off.

With practiced ease, Jaune angled himself midair. Thankfully, he wasn't being propelled at high-speed because of a couple launchpads, so he could land the way he normally landed back on the islands: with almost no help at all. He would just land and let his knees and Aura take the damage. Someone had other plans, however, and Jaune found himself in the clutches of a beaming blonde.

"Hah?"

"Pretty bold move, Monster Boy." Yang Xiao Long smiled down at him. Using her gauntlets to propel her upwards with enough force to stop Jaune's acceleration to the ground as she caught him was a pretty smart move in her book. But Jaune just gave her a funny look.

 _Why is she calling me 'Monster Boy?'_

"What?"

"Mon-Monster B-Boy?"

"Well, yeah," The earth shook a little as Yang and Jaune landed. "I mean, you managed to pull THAT thing," She pointed to the Basarios and a lone Nora Valkyre. She was riding the Rock Wyvern like a horse in the middle of a polo game, swatting Bakotos left and right while giggling like a schoolgirl. "Outta thin air. And like I said, that was a brash move up there, AND back when you blew up that troop. That was straight-up savage! So yeah, I'm calling you Monster Boy." A sharp whistle ran through the air.

"Guys, that thing's shooting back at us!" Ruby, Ren, and Blake ran past the two blondes. The Nevermore decided to play the keep-away game, and was firing a steady stream of spear-like feathers. The two joined the other running teens, and Jaune whistled.

Over in the distance, the Basarios heard its summoner call for it, and ran in the Arc's direction. Nora, thrown off the wyvern after it bashed a couple Grimm with its hip, also ran after it. Reaching the point where Weiss and Pyrrha were having an asininely long glaring contest, Jaune and everyone else ended up underneath the rocky sentinel, which shielded their bodies from the hail of feathers.

"Nice going, Monster Boy!" Jaune paid no heed to the blonde. He and Ren were busy paying attention to their shield's integrity, watching as each pinion struck the Basarios and chipped away at its rocky hide. If the Rock Wyvern were pierced by the plumage, they'd be screwed. They needed to get out of there.

"Excuse me? Jaune?" Jaune turned to the magenta-eyed fighter. "How fast can this creature run?"

"Fas-fast lik-ke a person-on, but it-it-it's still too… too sl-slow. The assau-ssault is too mu-much." Ruby voiced her opinion.

"Wait, can't we outrun that thing?"

"Rubes, you're the only one here who can do that."

"No I'm not, Yang! I bet Blake could make it through, too!"

"Actually, it would be difficult for me to get out of here without expending too much energy using my semblance and agility. Even if I could get away from the Nevermore, I'd be too tired to fight anything else in this forest." Yang growled and glared at the nevermore, still raining feathers down on them.

"Aw, great! NOW what do we do?"

"Ooh! Ooh! How about we just blow it up!" Striking a pose, the hyperactive Nora did a series of fanciful twirls before transforming her war hammer into a short and stocky grenade launcher. "Bye bye, Birdy!" Crouching down, she took aim at the raven before launching an explosive canister of Dust. Seconds later, a dull impact sounded through the air, and pink smoke obscured the Nevermore from their sight. "Woohoo!" Yang grabbed her by the collar.

"Couldn't you have done that EARLIER?"

"Oops. Tee-hee!" Ren placed a hand on Yang's.

"Enough. We leave now, before that Grimm forces us to dig trenches to protect ourselves." Suddenly, Jaune had an epiphany. He remembered that what Basarios lacked in leg muscles, they made up for it in arm muscles. And, while they had wings, their bodies were too heavy to fly for more than a few seconds. No, those wings, with their touch structure and shovel like claws, evolved to dig tunnels at high speed! That, plus the fact that the ground would shelter them from any more potential plumage barrages, would definitely aid them.

Jaune communicated his idea to the others, and bid the Basarios to dig a hole in the ground. The pink smoke that obscured the Crow then dissipated, and the Nevermore, still reeling a bit from the impact, saw that its annoying prey had just dug away. Paying no mind to the celebrity and the heiress, what with those two standing as still as statues, it flew around, hoping to catch sight of the rest of the group.

* * *

"George the Beringel wasn't having the best of days.

"Sure, George enjoyed hanging out with his troop, content to sleep and fart the days away, never doing anything. Heck, George didn't even mind it whenever a human came close to the troop, since most humans thought twice about making a Grimm grumpy from a lack of beauty sleep. That wasn't accounting for the fact that George's Bakoto helpers would also join in the attack, and there was a whole lotta those crazy bastards around George!

"George the Beringel was just being a normal, lazy, Grimm-ape."

"Ah. But Greg want to know, what wrong with George? Why George need Greg to wash George's burns?"

"That yellow-haired jackass that blew George up came along!

"Ooh boy, never has George ever been pissed off like that before! Seriously, George's face has been maimed, there are burn marks all over George, George lost a tooth or two, and a good amount of George's Bakoto friends were explodonated. George really wanted to wring that guys neck, but then this weird stone thing came along and thrashed George around. Then, it thrashed George's allies while a crazy human with a big hammer rode the monolith, bashing the Bakotos and George upside the head.

"Oh, how RELIEVED George was when they ran away towards the Nevermore! Weakened and running low on energy (there was not enough anger in that group of humans to fuel George), George and what remained of George's troop ran away.

"And that, Greg, is why George is here in Greg's territory in Greg's favorite stream." Steam hissed around the Beringel as a slightly larger specimen, which was uninjured, poured water onto George the Beringel's burns. The two of them were currently in the middle of a river, wide but not really deep. Above them, in the trees, Greg's pack of Bakotos was busy chittering and chattering with George's troop.

"Mmm. Mayhap that Nevermore turned the humans and that stone thing into kebabs."

"George hope so. But if not, George and Greg and George's troop and Greg's troop can crush them! … Maybe. George do not know."

"Well- YAHOOHOOHOOEEYY!" Water violently spouted upwards, and the two Beringel were sent up into the air and flying through the trees.

The Bakoto looked at that spot where the water spouted, and came face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-face-to-etc. with a couple teenagers and a big stone wyvern.

"… And you said digging would be a good idea, huh, Monster Boy?"

* * *

 **A/N: More filler than a Thanksgiving Turkey... or is that stuffing? Whatever.**

 **Please review and stuff.**

 **See the exciting conclusion to this fight next time! On DRWBY Ball Z! Oh wait, wrong website...**


End file.
